Professor Layton and the White Atlamillia
by GMaster1991
Summary: This is my very first attempt at a fanfic. I'm hoping to create an unofficial third trilogy which takes place after the first trilogy, due to a cliffhanger presented at the ending of the first trilogy. Professor Layton had received Luke's letter involving a mystery that was tailor-made for them both. Rated T for violence, minor swearing, and suggestive themes.
1. A New Beginning

**This is my very first fanfiction! Although the name may imply, this is not actually a crossover between Professor Layton and Dark Cloud, which is another of Level-5's series. There are simply some references to that popular series in this story, but none of the characters from Dark Cloud 1 or 2 will make any kind of appearance. Level-5 has made cameos from their other games before, and I'm just following that tradition. Keep in mind that I may put more OC's in this story than most people do in theirs. I do not own Professor Layton (or Dark Cloud). All rights reserved and all that stuff... yada yada yada... You know the drill.**

_Dear Professor Layton,_

_It's been a while since we said goodbye. How have you been? As for me, I'm all settled in and making new friends. I'm writing to you because something deeply puzzling happened here recently. It seems like the sort of mystery that's tailor made for Professor Layton and his apprentice. I don't think anyone else could get to the bottom of it. I've enclosed a document with this letter that will tell you more about the situation. I can't wait to start this new adventure with you! Please write back as soon as you get this letter!_

_Your friend and apprentice,_

_Luke_

It's been six months since Luke Triton, the professor's self-proclaimed apprentice, moved from London to New York, in America. His father, Clark Triton, got a job transfer as a professional writer. He had hoped to have his first book, "The Truth of the Golden Garden" published in America, where it may then be translated in all kinds of languages and spread all over the world. Being compassionate of his family's wishes, he had, of course, discussed this with his wife, Brenda, and his son, Luke, and they have agreed, seeing what kind of possibilities lay in store for their future, though Luke was reluctant at first. He had become accustomed to his travels with the Professor, and his adopted daughter, Flora Reinhold.

The Professor is a man of truly astounding intellect, and has solved mysteries and cases all over the world. He is also an English gentleman, and holds that image in society very effectively. Flora had come from a noble family and came under the Professor's care when her last relative, her father, Baron Augustus Reinhold, had passed away due to illness. She is usually left behind during the Professor's and Luke's adventures, to ensure her safety, and lately, because of her horrid cooking and her tendency to get kidnapped by, dare I say, some rather creepy men. However, she had always been able to join their company unnoticed, until the duo had reached their destination. By then, the duo decided to just allow her to accompany them. It's worth mentioning that although the Professor adopted her, she is not officially her daughter. This is because the mystery regarding her living conditions and lifestyle before the Professor adopted her were never made public. Therefore, her last name was still "Reinhold".

This adventure started off no differently: the Professor receives a letter, newspaper, or some other sort of information regarding a mystery, solves the daily newspaper puzzle, drinks his tea, puts on his signature hat, and walks out the door. The document that Luke referred to was a yellow envelope, which contained newspaper articles and pictures.

* * *

_**July Snowfall Continues Nearby Met Life Tower**_

_For over eight years, snow has fallen from the sky surrounding the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower. The climate is always very cold within and just outside the tower, despite the rest of Madison Avenue feeling normal weather. Lately, it has become just one of many sights to see for tourists. Meteorologists around the world were baffled and confused about this strange phenomenon, and the locals have become accustomed to this bizarre century old clock tower._

* * *

There were three pictures within the envelope. The first was of the aforementioned tower, which indeed had snow surrounding it. Based on the angle of this picture, the snow was within a thirty foot radius surrounding the tower. The second picture showed Luke's new home. It was an apartment within a very tall and rectangular building. The back of the picture has the message "2485 Fbtu 246ui Tusffu: Sppn 219". Knowing that this was a puzzle, the Professor decoded it very quickly. By changing each letter and number down one digit, the message would say: "1374 East 135th Street: Room 108" which was his new address. The final picture had shown the Statue of Liberty, located on the New York Harbor. The statue has nothing to do with the mystery, but the Professor had always wanted to see it in person. After finishing his tea and giving his farewell to Flora, Professor Layton has set off to solve another mystery.

**Ok, that finishes the first chapter. I'm trying to make this fanfic as "Laytonesque" as possible. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them on the review section.**


	2. A Long Voyage Overseas

The Professor had his automobile, which he called, "The Laytonmobile". It had a rounded shape on the back, a pointed shape in the front, and had a dark red coloring to it. However, the most unusual feature was the modified roof, which was raised an extra foot, so that the Professor may enter and exit his car without removing his prized hat. He might have used it to drive to the docks where he and Luke parted ways six months ago, but then nobody would be there to drive the car back to his home. Instead, he had to contact a taxi to his address, and in about twenty minutes, it had arrived. The taxi driver had a rotund build and a very scruffy black beard, along with black bushy hair. The taxi cab was typically what you would expect in London: a large black vehicle with plenty of room in the back.

The driver pulled next to the professor and said with a Scottish accent, "Hey, ya the Layton guy?"

The professor responded, "Why yes, my good man. I have need of your services."

"Aight, where to?"

"Saint Katherine Docks is my destination."

"Aye, you goin' to visit someone overseas?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes."

"Right, hop in!"

The professor does so, and the taxi is driven toward its destination: Saint Katherine Docks. The taxi was quite tall, much like the Laytonmobile. The professor did not have to remove his hat to enter, although he could feel the ceiling of the taxi press his hat downward on his misshaped head.

The professor began conversation with the driver to pass the time, "You know, it's been about 14 years since I was last driven by a hackney carriage such as this. Back then, I did not have an automobile license."

A surprised chuckle came from the driver, "'Hackney carriage'? Aye, and here I thought I'd never hear another passenger give my vehicle its old glory name. "

"Well, you may call me old-fashioned if you wish to do so, but I have always been fond of the original portrayals of society. At least, in comparison to the 'hip language' of today's generation."

"I understand completely! My name is Frank. Frank Margini!"

"Hershel Layton. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Margini."

"Aye, same here!"

"So how long have you been in this profession, Mr. Margini?"

"Twenty-seven years! My family comes from a long-line-a-Hackney-coachmen, since the very first carriage was ever created!"

"If I recall correctly, the very first hackney license that was ever conceived took place in the year 1662."

"Aye! So ya know the history of my occupation! Are you an educator?"

"You are very astute, Mr. Margini. I am an archaeology professor at Gressenheller University. My class is quite popular with my students."

"Wait, archaeology, you say? I have me a daughter that's taking that subject this year!"

"Hmmm... Would that be Samantha?"

"Aye! That's her! She always liked talkin' about you and your classes. She says ya got a reputation for bein' able to Macgyver tools and inventions to help teach your lessons."

"Uh, 'Macgyver', you say? Well, I suppose I can take credit for that, though a true gentleman should never bask in too much glory."

The taxi had arrived at the docks soon afterwards. The boat that the professor was prepared to board is now anchored next to the dock, and is welcoming passengers.

"Well, it was a pleasure to have met you, Mr. Margini."

"Aye, same here! Ya ever need a lift, ya call me, aight?"

The professor paid the driver for his service, along with a rather generous tip. Now, it was time to board the S. S. Americano, a large boat that's due for New York City. The professor waited in line for about an hour, before he was able to flash his ticket and climb aboard. The interior of the boat wasn't all that luxurious, but that was not an issue. There were simple, leather coaches and wooden tables. There were magazine articles and books on top of the tables. This boat is one of the cheaper options of transformation, and is often chosen by pilgrims and frequent travelers en route to America. The professor helped himself to one of the books to help pass the time of the long journey. This journey was estimated to take about three and a half days.

Now, while it might be possible to explain an eventless cruise from Point A to Point B, it is fairly obvious that anyone reading that would be bored out of their more than likely very sleepy minds. Because of this, I will simply fast forward to the point where the boat arrived at New York. Good idea, right?

Anyway, now that the buildings of New York were in visible view to the naked eye, the famous Statue of Liberty was in plain sight as well. It was truly an astounding piece of craftsmanship, especially when combined with the evening sunset reflected upon the open seas surrounding the statue. It was truly the picture of freedom, and the professor couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. As the boat was preparing to dock, the professor caught a familiar blue glimpse waiting for him back on solid ground.

**Well, hopefully that's the end of the filler chapters. Admit it, that's what you thought too, right? It's fine if you felt that way. I just figured a good Layton story needs an extensive pre-adventure back-story. Once again, comments and constructive criticism are welcome.**


	3. A Friendly Reunion

Upon disembarking the boat, the professor saw his self-proclaimed "Apprentice Number-One", Luke Triton, who had awaited the professor's arrival. Mere words couldn't completely express the excitement in Luke's eyes, but for the sake of not making this story silent and boring, I'm going to try anyway. Keep in mind that Luke's accent when saying 'Professor' ends with an 'ah', instead of an 'or'. I'm really not sure why.

"PROFESSAH! PROFESSAAAAAH!"

"Oh, oh my! Luke, my boy, it's been six months. How have you been?"

"Wonderfully, Professah! You wouldn't believe how different it is here in New York! They got everything: museums, subways, restaurants, even the Statue of Liberty!"

"Ah yes, I've seen it with my own eyes during my voyage here. Tell me, how are your parents doing as well?"

"Great! Father's book about our adventures in Misthallery are getting published! Also, I've made lots of new friends, so many things to show you... and, and..."

"Ah, Hershel, my old friend! How have you been?"

Luke's father, Clark Triton, was sitting nearby watching the reunion with his wife. Obviously, they couldn't leave their son alone in a big city like this.

"Pleasure to see you again, old bean! I've heard your first book is going public soon! That's truly wonderful!"

"Thank you, Hershel! No doubt you've heard of the odd weather that has befallen the Met Life Tower. When Luke saw this for the first time, he told me that you would be the one who could solve this puzzle. Hehehe! And after all the mysteries you've solved in your life, including the one in Misthallery, I have no reason to argue. But you don't need to examine the tower so quickly! You've just got back on solid ground, so why don't you come and visit our new home? I can drive you nearby the tower on the way, if you would like a quick look."

"Very well then! Luke, my boy. When we get to your new abode, why don't you introduce your new friends to me?"

"Absolutely, Professah! I've told them all about you, and how you can solve any puzzle, no matter what, and that you can build contraptions out of items just lying around, and that you can swordfight, and that you're a true gentleman, and..."

The professor was starting to see the familiar fan boy in his apprentice from so long ago, and while it humored him, it was also a tad frightening. "Yes, yes! We have much to discuss. But why don't we do that when we get to your home, alright?"

"Sure thing, Professah!"

The professor and Luke's family got into their car. Oddly enough, the cars in America have their steering wheel on the left side, as opposed to the right, back in England, which perplexed Layton at first. Also, the roof couldn't accommodate his spectacular hat, so he had to remove it to get in the car. He sat in the back seat with Luke, who was staring at him quite awkwardly.

"Something the matter, Luke?"

"Oh! It's nothing. It's just that your top hat seems like it's actually part of you at times. It's strange seeing it come off all of a sudden."

"Yes, my boy. Yes, it is..."

The buildings were very different from the quaint villages and steam punk cities that the professor is usually accustomed to. They were shiny, sleek, rectangular, and were as high as the largest tower in St. Mystere, and had hundreds, if not thousands of windows. The professor thought to himself, wondering who on earth would need all those rooms. About five minutes after the car first started driving, they passed by the tower, and everything about it was true. Across the sunset horizon, you could actually see snowflakes appearing from the sky around the tower. It certainly looked genuine.

The Professor observed the tower closely, "So this is the Metropolitan Tower? Even from this distance, I can see heavy snowfall. Intriguing, to be sure."

The Triton car was in position to view the cold tower for about four minutes before getting out of sight, behind all the other tall buildings. Soon enough, they've reached their destination.

The professor pulled out one of the pictures to compare it to the house. It was the picture of Luke's new home, with the decoded address in the back. "1374 East 135th Street, I presume."

An amused grin came across Luke's face. "Yea, that's the professah I remember! You solved my puzzle!"

"Ha ha, well, it wasn't a particularly difficult one. Why don't you show me your room?"

The car was parked in a very wide parking lot. From that viewpoint, the building stretched for what appeared to be miles. The professor grabbed his suitcase, which oddly felt heavier than it does normally, though he didn't seem to mind. On the inside, the building appeared to be a very luxurious hotel. There were bellhops taking luggage, flowery wallpaper, and elevators with over 10 floors! The elevators were foreign to the professor as well. Back in London, the first floor was above the ground floor, but in America, the ground floor **was** the first floor. Since the first number of the room was dependant on the current floor that it was on, the professor was tempted to look for a "1" button within the elevator.

Luke stared at the professor in awkward silence for about three minutes before deciding that he had enough amusement at his mentor's expense, "Professah, our room is on the ground floor. Come with me!"

The group eventually arrived at Room 108, and prepared to make themselves comfortable.

**Well, we finally caught a glimpse of the tower! That only took a couple thousand words... For those of you who are wondering, there really is a Metropolitan tower in New York. However, the snowfall in this story is completely fictional and has no impact in real life.**


	4. Father and Daughter

The Triton's new residence had that New York feeling on the outside, but the interior was like the familiar England that the professor was accustomed to. This was something of a relief to the professor, especially after that long trip on the S. S. Americano. Luke quickly took his guest's suitcase and showed him around. His parents left the home for a moment to get some more things from their car.

"Follow me, Professah! Now, this is our living room."

The walls in the living room had that wooden feeling in it, with black vertical stripes in a pattern. The furniture in the living room had consisted of a large, red, and plush sofa, a similar loveseat, and a quaint wooden table, complete with a rounded rug underneath and a glass vase on top with a purple tulip sticking out. There was also a small electrical light that had the appearance of a fireplace to add that special 'welcome home' touch. There were also family pictures placed above it. There were two bedrooms, one for Luke and the other for his parents. Luke showed the professor his room first.

"And this is my room!"

Luke's room had blue wallpaper with puzzle pieces hand drawn on it, a very bouncy bed that he liked to plop himself on after a long day, a slim television and various puzzle books nearby his bed, and a hat rack on his door to hold his signature blue hat (although he didn't use it often). Luke chucked the professor's suitcase toward the floor next to his bed. When it hit the floor, the professor and his assistant heard a faint "Mmph!" come from it.

This caught the professor attention, "What on earth..?"

The professor opened his suitcase and saw a young lady in an orange dress and ponytail stuffed in it.

Luke was quite surprised to see her again, "Flora?! What are you doing here, and... how did you fit in that tiny suitcase?"

The professor was not nearly as surprised. After all, Flora had repeatedly followed the professor on his adventures before, and he has grown accustomed to this. In a stern, yet civil tone, he spoke to his daughter, "Once again, young lady, you've deliberately disobeyed me..."

Flora was a bit unnerved upon being discovered, "Professor, I'm tired of you leaving me all the time. I want to go with you on your adventures, too. "

"Now, Flora..."

"I want to see America, and the museums..."

"Young lady..."

"And the snowy tower, and the Statue of Liberty... and..."

Flora began to sob, "AND I'M TIRED OF BEING **LEFT ALOOOOOOONE!**" (There's a new meme.)

His daughter's outburst was much less of a predicted outcome. Now the professor was the one that was unnerved. He still kept his composure, "Now, see here, I told you before. It's far too dangerous for you to join me during these investigations. Every time you do, you get kidnapped or threatened in some fashion, and I only wish to keep you safe from harm."

"And you, my only guardian, does that by leaving me unattended in your house for over a week?"

"Our home is always under witness protection by Scotland Yard, you know that..."

The professor has been on many adventures at this point in his life, and has foiled many dastardly schemes attempted by equally dastardly villains. As a result, the Scotland Yard police force had placed Professor Layton's home under a 24 hour witness protection program to keep any one of those villains, or their henchmen, from breaking in his home and taking revenge right there on the spot. This, of course, explains to an extent, the necessity for any of them to get involved in needlessly complicated schemes during the professor's travels.

Despite this, Flora still had an answer to that, "But what about **your** life? What if something happens to **you**? Am I supposed to just stand aside and watch you get **killed!?**"

The professor's composure had slipped for just a split second. He had no comeback to that. The room was in awkward silence for about thirty whole seconds. Then, Flora finally broke that silence, "I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

Flora grabbed and embraced the professor, crying and putting her head on his shoulder. He returned the gesture, doing his best to comfort his daughter, "There, there... Don't apologize, Flora. I suppose I did not think of it that way."

Luke was just staring at the scene the whole time, with his jaw dropped slightly. The father and daughter continued their embrace for about three more minutes. After that, Luke's parents had returned, carrying some large cardboard boxes.

"We're home! Hershel, Luke, refreshments are in the refrigerator, by all means, help your..."

Clark saw Flora standing by the professor and Luke, "Ah... Flora, correct?"

Luke's parents had met Flora about two years ago when they visited the professor's home alongside two of the friends Luke had made back in Misthallery: Tony and Arianna Barde. Professor Layton had already told Clark of the time when Flora boarded the Molentary Express during their travels to Dropstone.

"Hershel, would you like me to watch over Flora while you two are gone?"

"There's no need for that, old bean. It seems I'll need the aid of both of my assistants to solve this puzzle."

A cheerful smile came from both Luke and Flora.

**One thing that just bothered me about the professor was how ridiculously bad he can be as a father, constantly leaving his daughter while he went in dangerous situations, especially considering all of the other positive "true gentleman" stuff we come to know and love about him. He had to be called out on this behavior at some point. Also, I know I was supposed to continue describing the new Triton home, but I doubt anybody cares anymore...**


	5. The Lighter Side of Professor Layton

After that brief heartwarming moment, Luke had something to ask Flora, "So, it's been six months since I've seen you, Flora! How have you been?"

"Everything's been alright, I guess... The professor hasn't had a new mystery since... well, since right now. Everybody's just went back to their daily routine... except..."

"Except what?"

"Well, it's been really boring without you, Luke. Even without a mystery to solve, the professor spends most of his time working, and I spend most days just reading or cooking for the professor. Nothing out of the ordinary."

At that moment, both Professor Layton's and Luke's spines shivered ever so slightly when they heard the word "cooking" come out of Flora's mouth. Now, normally, the professor could find a solution to even the most terrifying and life threatening situations. It didn't matter how scary and mysterious the legends were or how destructive the villainous contraptions were, he could always find an solution to every problem that lay before him and his companions. But there was always one thing that even the professor truly feared. One thing that was more horrific and painful than even the most vile and cunning fiend you can possibly imagine... That was Flora's cooking. And the worst part of it was, that neither the professor nor Luke would ever tell her directly, for fear of hurting her feelings. After all, Flora loved to cook, and a true gentleman is always appreciative of a lady's cooking, no matter how bad it really is...

Thankfully, Luke's mother, Brenda was preparing the meals this time, because it's usually the hosts that usually feed and entertain their guests. After the meal, the trio rested for the night. It's been a long trip for the professor, and consequently, Flora, who had hid in a briefcase for days. A good night's sleep would be nice, and the snow tower isn't going anywhere. It's much safer to walk the streets at daytime anyways.

When daylight broke through the windows of the Triton home, the trio prepared to investigate the snow tower directly. They packed winter clothes, such as coats, mittens, earmuffs, and heating bags to keep warm. Although, they wouldn't even wear them until they actually reached the tower. Otherwise, the weather was scorching. This created a rather difficult puzzle. The professor had a suitcase and two cardboard crates to carry everything they needed. The briefcase would be close on hand, and would carry all the usual equipment, along with a few other supplies, while the crates would be in the car. Luke's parents lent Professor Layton their car to aid their investigation. In the end, the professor decided to pack their food (not prepared by Flora) and water within his briefcase, while leaving the clothing and other materials in the crates. If the worst should happen, and it usually does, the trio may be trapped in the tower, or something. In that circumstance, they would also be wearing the winter clothing as well. Always go prepared, after all...

The professor and his two apprentices were out the door at 7 AM. The professor wanted to check out the tower during the early morning before traffic and the amount of tourists within the tower had both reached their peak. It was a fairly typical drive. Luke was in the front, while Flora sat in the back. Both of them would find something rather redundant to disagree upon, and then simultaneously reduce each other's dignity with an ever-increasing array of jokes and insults, which would create a scene that the professor had compared to fingernails scratching his classroom chalkboard.

Flora brought up something of peculiar interest to those that have kept a close eye on the professor's adventures, "You know, a lot of people have been inspired by our adventures in a way, and when I say inspired, I mean PLAGIARIZED! The worst offender of this is "May's Mystery: Forbidden Memories."

Luke didn't agree, however, "May's Mystery? No way! Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knight rips of the Professah way more than May does!"

"What?! That's SO not true! Doctor Lautrec didn't even solve puzzles that much! He just uses artifacts to fight things! The people in May's adventures look a lot more like the people we meet too!"

"Did you even see the big top hat on Doctor Lautrec?! May doesn't even WEAR a hat at all! That makes Doctor Lautrec the bigger ripoff!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yah-huh!"

Professor Layton wanted the pointless arguing to stop, "Luke! Flora! Stop this bickering at once! It does not matter who had gained the most inspiration from our adventures. Also, if it is truly an inconvenience, we may always get the court system involved in such a thing. After all, I'm sure Mr. Wright wouldn't mind helping us solve that dispute. A true gentleman always makes his judgments with a clear and unbiased mind. Now then, what do you say we let go of all that bitterness and move on with our mystery."

Luke and Flora seemed to have calmed down at first, which relieved the professor, but then he heard both Luke and Flora whispering to each other.

"May's Mystery."

"Doctor Lautrec."

The professor sighed in embarrassment, "Dean Delmona had always warned me of the price of success..."

Eventually, the trio had arrived at the snow tower at around 8:45 AM. It was then that the professor's two companions **finally** stopped their arguing, much to the professor's delight. It felt much colder already, just standing nearby it. The trio just wore their winter clothes right over their normal ones, since there was nowhere to change clothes in. Just as the newspaper had stated, it was a tourist attraction, so there was an entry fee. Adults were five dollars per entry, teenagers were half that price, and children younger than 13 had free entry if they came with a capable guardian. This is when the professor realized that he would have to do something that any mentor would be truly ashamed of...

"Luke?"

"What's wrong, Professah? Aren't we going in?"

The professor paused for a moment and then, "May I borrow ten dollars?"

Both Luke and Flora's jaws had dropped upon hearing this. The Professor explained his request, "You see, my boy, British pounds are not acceptable within America. The appropriate currency is the US Dollar Bill... Sadly, it had slipped my mind to get a currency exchange, and since you've lived here for six months..."

Luke's face flushed with embarrassment, "I understand, Professah. Here you are!"

The professor tugged his hat in shame, "I appreciate this, Luke. I assure you that I will repay this loan as soon as possible."

Luke went from embarrassment to a goofy grin, "I know, Professah! Now let's check out the snow tower!"

**Well, we're finally ready to investigate! Did you enjoy the bits of humor I put in? As always, feel free to comment!**


	6. A Cold Reception

After Luke had paid for the admission to the snow tower, the professor and his companions went inside. Within the interior was mostly what you would expect within the winter tourist attraction: fancy snowflake wallpaper, an information booth, and of course, tourists. The walls stretched upward hundreds of feet, and at the top were four giant clocks: one on each wall. Despite the professor's best efforts to investigate the tower in a quieter setting, there were already at least a couple dozen people there, not counting the employed. The employees all had blue sweaters with white horizontal stripes. The temperature within the snow tower was already feeling even colder than just outside. It was enough for everyone within to see their own breath.

The professor had been involved in enough mysteries to know the first rule of acquiring information, "The first thing we should do here is ask the tourists and employees for information. Specifically, information about this clock tower, and how it was constructed, and any legends behind it."

Luke and Flora nodded their heads. Since visitors were only allowed on the ground floor, that made finding people to ask very convenient. The first person the professor asked was an employee working at the information booth. He was reading an automobile magazine, "Pardon me, sir. May I borrow a moment of your time... (looking at the employee's name tag), Roger?"

With a goofy grin, he answered, "Sure thing, dudes... (turning to Flora), and missy!"

The professor doesn't normally prefer himself and his companions addressed in this manner, but he set that aside, "Uhh... yes. My name is Professor Hershel Layton. My companions and I are currently on an investigation of a mystery concerning this clock tower. Would you know anything at all that may be of assistance?"

"Awwhahaww! You mean like why it's always like, cold, and like, snowing inside, dude?"

The professor winced a little, "A-ah... Why yes! That is precisely the information we seek!"

"Well, all I know is what anyone else that lives here would know. Is that right by you, dude?"

"Yes, that would be fine, and if you don't mind, Roger, I would ask that you address me as 'Professor Layton', or simply 'Professor'."

"Aw, sure thing, Professor dude!"

The professor right eye started to twitch slightly. Luke and Flora both seemed to be feeling a combination of outward concern and inner amusement.

Roger continued, "You see, it all started like, eight and a half years ago at night. There was this weird light coming from the clocks at the top of the tower. Now, I ain't talking about the electricity that lights up the clocks at night. No, professor dude, I'm talking like, shiny, sparkly lights. They were like, rainbowy, and full of color. When they disappeared, it just turned winter here, like all year round! It's been that way ever since, professor dude!"

"I see... Well, I appreciate the assistance, my good man. There's one more thing I would like to request."

"Sure thing, professor dude!"

The professor's body began to grow even more tense and stiff, with each time that he was addressed 'dude', "Our investigation may require us to return here at some point. Is there any way for us to gain re-entry without having to pay another visitor's fee?"

"Well, sure thing, professor dude! Here, take this!"

Roger gave the professor a card, with a snowy clock logo on it.

"That card can let you back in for up to like, three days from now, professor dude!"

"Thank you very much, Roger! We should be on our way now."

Professor Layton and his companions left until they were behind a wall, out of Roger's line of sight. Luke spoke first, "Well, that was actually quite helpful. Oh! Uh, professah? Is something the matter?"

"No, my boy. It must be the cold in this tower that's tensing me. Luke, would you mind preparing me some tea?"

"Sure, professah! Do you want the usual?"

"Yes, my boy. I would like the Belle Classic."

The professor had carried a portable tea set around for some time, ever since he was given one in Dropstone two years ago. Whenever the moment called for it, it was always convenient to have nice, hot tea, ready in only about five minutes.

"Here you are, professah!"

"Thank you, Luke."

The professor took a deep sip, drinking in the bitter flavor that he enjoyed so much. He was so deep within his warm meditation that he failed to notice Roger come up from behind him, "Professor dude!"

This had startled the professor so much, that he actually dropped his precious tea cup on the floor, breaking it in pieces. Roger noticed this, "Oh, sorry about that..."

The professor took a deep breath, "That's quite alright. It was merely an accident. Now, what was it that you wanted?"

"I almost forgot to mention something. Every hour, and I mean like, **on** the hour, there's this beautiful music echoing around the tower. Nobody knows where it comes from, since there aren't any speakers, but we hear it like, every hour, professor dude!"

"Music every hour, you say? Well, I appreciate the information, Roger."

"Sure thing, professor dude! Oh, and don't worry about the mess. I'll get maintenance to deal with it. Catch you later, professor dude!"

The professor thought to himself, _"Not if you were the last remaining person in the face of the earth, my good man."_

Luke and Flora frowned upon the sight of their cherished memory of Dropstone, shattered to the floor. The professor rallied them both up, "Well, it's no good frowning on the past. What's done is done... We should go ask someone else now. In fact, we should ask someone that is quite far away from here."

The professor and his companions asked an elderly tourist looking upon an old photograph of the clock tower, back when its construction was first completed in 1909.

"Pardon me, madam. May I borrow a moment of your time?"

"Oh yes, well, I don't mind at all!"

"My name is Professor Hershel Layton. My companions and I are currently on an investigation of a mystery concerning this clock tower. Would you know anything at all that may be of assistance?"

"Are you talking about the 'Snow Angel'?

"Snow angel?"

"Why, yes. This tower is blessed by an angel! Oh, I remember catching a glimpse of her a few years ago! Oh, my goodness, I haven't even properly introduced myself yet... My name is Agnes Grant."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Grant. You say you saw an angel appear in the tower?"

"No, silly, not **in** the tower, **above** the tower. It was just floating there in a beautiful light, watching over us from above. You know, there's a fountain just slightly west of this tower. Rumor has it that if you drop a penny in it, the snow angel will bless you with good fortune for years to come!"

"Well, that's certainly an interesting rumor. Perhaps I'll consider it sometime. It's been a pleasure, Miss Grant."

"Oh, well aren't you a gentleman! I never thought I would see another one again since Wallace."

"Wallace?"

"Oh, don't pay any mind, he was my husband of 42 years, before he passed away. Bless his departed soul."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure he was a fine gentleman." The professor tipped his hat after finishing that sentence. When the conversation concluded, it was 9 AM. This of course means that music started playing. It sounded like a soft piano, and was very soothing to those that had heard it.

**Well, we've learned about a strange light, an angel, and some music, but I think the most important thing worth typing here is that I finished this chapter at 2 AM.**


	7. The Music and the Hunter

**Just as you may have read last chapter, the music had a soothing effect on those that hear it. However, I didn't exactly go into that much detail at the time, since it was 2 AM at the time that I had finished that chapter, and I was very tired. This is a good opportunity to make up for that error. **

The music had echoed all around the snow tower and affected everyone within. It had sounded like it had come from a very soft piano, and it was actually gentle enough to calm angered individuals. In fact, there was another tourist arguing with Roger in the background, no doubt about how he was addressed. However, when the music started, the anger subsided almost immediately! The earlier stress that Professor Layton endured had also melted away. For the brief moment that the music played, it was as if every moment of agony and bitterness that one would endure just didn't matter anymore. The professor and his companions couldn't help but close their eyes and listen with pleasure until the beautiful music had stopped playing about five minutes later.

When it had ended, everyone was in an almost euphoric state. Especially Flora, who was nearly about to shed tender tears, "That was the most beautiful melody that I've ever heard! Professor, is this why you go to opera houses?"

"Ha ha, well Flora, that is true under normal circumstances. There was, however, a mystery that began at an opera house at one point. Although, operas normally have vocal music and would also come from a large orchestra, but what we have heard sounded like it was done solo and on a piano."

"Professor, could I go see the opera someday?"

"That would be a truly memorable experience for a young lady. Of course, you may!"

Flora let out a cheerful smile, squinting her enormous eyes, which caused the professor to chuckle. It was time to leave this tower and examine the well that Mrs. Grant had mentioned. Just as the professor and his companions were leaving through the door, they heard a deep guttural voice come from outside the door, "What do you mean, you don't allow animals? I don't see that rule anywhere on your precious entry fee sign!"

The employee sounded confused, "Uh, I know that. But the only ones allowed through are people, and you're not a person, you're an animal."

"And that's supposed to mean something? Do I **act** like an animal? Do I **crawl** like an animal? And, by the way, why can't animals be people too!"

"Well, uh... I'm not sure, but the rules clearly say 'No pets allowed'.

"I'm **not** a pet! I'm just like every other human here! I get dressed, I buy food, I pay bills... In fact, I'm even able to pay the admission here. Legally, **I'm... an... ADULT!** Or is my money not good enough for you, blue boy?!"

"Please don't make a scene. I'm just trying to do my job."

"And your job is to refuse service to anybody that doesn't have flesh and a hairdo like **you**, isn't it?! Fine then, **bigot**! If you weren't some so called 'civilized citizen', I'd rip your **head off!**"

The professor and his companions had just saw the cause of the commotion. The person trying to gain access to the snow tower looked like a panda bear. He (well, at least the professor believed it was a 'he') was about four feet tall, wore clothing that looked like lizard scales, and walked upright like a human being. Also, judging from the conversation they overheard, he could speak as well. This panda walked in what had looked like a narrow alley, and the professor and his companions followed.

The professor was, of course, curious about this talking animal, "Is something the matter, sir?"

The panda looked up at the professor and rose an eyebrow, "Yea, what do you want?"

"Ah, so you **can** speak..."

The panda gave a sarcastic tone, "Ah, so you're **observant!**"

Luke was immediately insulted at the way this panda spoke to the professor, "Hey! Don't be so rude to the professah! He's just trying to help!"

Professor Layton interrupted, "Now, Luke... I don't believe it's his intention to cause trouble. He's simply frustrated at the people in this city treating him differently. May we be of assistance?"

"Huh? You're not gonna scream 'Rabies!' at me, or call some freaking government agent to capture me?"

The professor started to gain sympathy for this panda, "I assure you that it is not our intention to harm you."

The panda seemed visibly shocked, "Well, that's a relief... Every day, I'm getting screwed over just cause I ain't made of flesh. Anyway, it's nice to know there are some worthwhile people, for once."

"You seem like you're in a difficult situation. Would you like to tell us what is bothering you?"

"Well, as you mighta saw from outside that tower, that freaking 'blue boy' won't let me in. I mean, I'm old enough, and I got money. You'd think it'd be **America** of all places where everyone's treated the same. 'Land of the Free', huh? Ppffhh!"

"I'm sorry to hear that... My companions and I are investigating a mystery involving this tower. We may have to return here at some point. If you would like, would you care to join us?"

"Wow... Usually, I gotta prove I'm like everyone else for hours before you people even start talking to me. But how are you gonna get me in that tower anyway?"

Flora now spoke to this panda, "Well, I came to this country in a suitcase. It was a tight fit, but maybe we could squeeze you in?"

"A... suitcase? Sigh... **fine**... It'll have to do..."

The professor gave an approving tip of his hat, and the panda joined the professor and his companions. The panda spoke to the professor, "Hey, top ha... er, **professor**. Is that right?"

"'Professor' is acceptable to me."

"Yea, well anyway... Are these your kids?"

"To an extent, Luke and Flora are under my care. Luke is actually an assistant of mine, and my apprentice. He wishes to learn the ways of a 'true gentleman'."

The panda looked at the professor, "You're gotta teach a kid to be polite? Did he come from 'juvey' or something?"

Luke was extremely offended, "I did **not** come from a juvenile center!" He then made a hand gesture, pointing upward, "I'm Professor Layton's assistant, number **one! **"

The panda rolled his eyes, "Uh-huh..." Then, he turned to Flora, "And you, uhh, Flora, was it?"

"That's right! Professor Layton adopted me as his daughter. Nice to meet you!"

The panda shook Flora's hand, "Likewise!" After that, the panda had just realized something, "Wait a second... Professor?"

"Yes."

"You put your daughter... in a **suitcase**?! What's **wrong** with you, old man!?"

"Oh my... I assure you that I would never willingly put Flora in such an uncomfortable position."

"Willingly... So what, you were **high** or something?"

"What do you mean by 'high', Mr. Panda."

Luke interrupted this time, "Professah! He means 'intoxicated', like with alcohol or illegal drugs."

The professor was then horrified, "Good heavens, **no!** Flora joined us out of her own will. I had tried to warn her of any possible dangers here, but she had shut herself in my suitcase without my knowledge until it was too late."

The panda seemed somewhat relieved, "Oh..."

The professor was caught up in this topic, he had almost forgotten an important lesson as a gentleman until now, "By the way, I had almost forgotten to ask you your name."

"Huh? Oh, I'm Travis."

"Last name?"

"Just Travis."

"Very well, Travis. If I'm not delving to far, Travis, why is it you wish to enter the snow tower?"

"I'm trying to find something called a 'White Atlamillia'."

"White Atlamillia? I don't believe I've ever heard of such a thing."

"Yea, well anyway... There are these stones called 'Atlamillia' that are supposed to be around places of otherworldly power. Y'know, places with ghosts or demons or... something."

Luke seemed to understand first, "Ah, I've got it! You believe that this snow is caused by supernatural power!"

"Yea, that's it."

Flora interrupted for once, "But if there's a place full or ghosts or demons, why would you want to go there? It sounds dangerous!"

"No problem there! I've already killed a few ghosts and demons. They're not as tough as you humans make 'em out to be."

"K-killed them? But... how?"

"It's how I make my living. I'm what you'd call a 'Supernatural Hunter'."

**Well, I've introduced the first major original character here. Next chapter should cover a bit more about Travis, and maybe that well that was mentioned earlier. As always, feel free to post a review.**


	8. A Blessed Well

Professor Layton had already seen a talking, intelligent animal once before. He knew that asking about where an animal would learn to speak or why would usually upset them, since he once encountered a talking rabbit back in London. There was something he could not ignore though. The professor is what you would call a 'man of evidence and intellect'. He did not believe in the existence of otherworldly entities such as ghosts or demons. For that reason, he was understandably confused at the thought of a 'supernatural hunter'.

"Travis, forgive me for feeling skeptical, but I do not find your claim of your own profession very credible. I have solved many mysteries that supposedly involved supernatural elements such as a vampire and a specter for example, and all of them had ended with a much more logical conclusion."

Travis was no stranger to that kind of disbelief, "**And** it begins..."

Professor Layton tried to be reassuring, "I do not mean to offend you, Travis. I'm merely stating that if you are here for an entirely different reason, you may confide in me if you wish to."

Travis had a dull and annoyed look on his face, "There's no point in me making this up."

"Very well, then. I will not pressure you any longer. Just remember that I seek only the truth behind this snow tower."

Travis let out a sarcastic "Yay!", followed by a barely audible "Idiot..."

The professor and his companions, including Travis, set out to investigate a well that was mentioned to be blessed by a 'Snow Angel'. The well was in walking distance, so the group did not get in the car.

During their trip, Luke was curious about something, "Travis, you said you know about supernatural beings, right?"

Travis was still annoyed from earlier, "More of that 'ghosts aren't real' crap?"

"No, actually, I was wondering if you've ever heard of a 'Snow Angel' before."

"Well, I've heard no more than any other human about it. Supposedly, the snow tower is blessed by an angel. Or something like that, anyway. Problem is even I've never seen anything like that before."

"So you've never heard of it?"

Another sarcastic remark from Travis, "I will repeat what I said five seconds ago." He gradually moved his face closer to Luke's face with each syllable, "I've... ne...ver... seen... a...ny... thing... like... that... be... fooooooore." At this point, he had whispered 'fooooooore' into Luke's ear.

Luke had a shiver go down his spine from Travis's breath going down his ear. Luke wanted to talk back, but the professor signaled him to stop. After all, a true gentleman should never start a fight especially without a good reason. The group had arrived at this wishing well anyway. It wasn't very extravagant for a well that was supposedly blessed. It was made of stone and wood, and was roughly four feet in diameter. The water was about six feet deep and was filled with pennies and nickels.

Flora reached in her purse and pulled out a penny pound sterling, which is currency back in London, and threw it in the well, "There! Now, I'll be blessed with good luck."

The Professor had an idea what to do next, "We should investigate this well. Look for things like hidden levers, or stones that can move. Anything that may indicate a switch."

Luke agreed, "Right, Professah!"

Flora simply smiled.

Travis had whispered a sincere remark this time, "Smartest thing he said all day."

The group searched every nook and cranny from both outside and even within the well. The professor had touched every stone looking for a secret, or a hidden puzzle, or even a hint coin. Anything that would make this short trip worthwhile would be appreciated. In the end, there was nothing. There wasn't even a hint coin for the trouble.

The professor pulled down his hat in embarrassment.

Luke let out a disappointed, "Nothing..."

Flora let out a frustrated huff.

Travis let out another sarcastic comment, "Well Professor... Thanks to your undoubtedly keen mind that had solved **many** mysteries, the four of us have killed over an hour rubbing ourselves against a wishing well. Congratulations..."

Luke defended the professor, "Hey, even you thought this was smart!"

"Well, now I don't."

The professor and his companions had left the wishing well since they had hit a dead end there. It was time to return to the snow tower and try to find more information. When they had arrived, the group had remembered about Travis. More importantly, Flora had brought him the professor's suitcase.

Travis's eye was twitching, "You were serious about this..."

Flora argued, "Sorry, but it's the only way you can get in."

Travis slapped his forehead with his hand slightly and just climbed in. When the suitcase was shut, his voice was very muffled, "This suitcase smells like graham crackers. You eat out of this thing?"

Luke was just barely holding in his laughter towards Travis. The professor and his companions... and his now-sentient suitcase... were welcomed back into the snow tower.

**I hope that this chapter had fleshed out Travis a bit more. Feel free to review as always!**


	9. Nobody is Perfect

**I realize that the last chapter was very short compared to the one before. This is because it was there to flesh out Travis and it took fewer words than I thought.**

It was 10:27 AM, which was over an hour since Professor Layton and his companions had left the tower earlier. The professor doesn't have any actual leads now, since the wishing well legend that Mrs. Grant told him about went nowhere. However, there was something gained from the endeavor. It wasn't at the wishing well itself, but there was a shred of information added to this mystery. The professor knew that this was a long shot, but he returned to the snow tower employee, Roger. Given their earlier encounter, the professor would rather have never seen this fellow again, but he was the one who worked at the information stand, so he had no other options.

Roger gave that same goofy grin from last time, "Hey, it's professor dude!"

The professor was already regretting this, but he took a deep breath, "Excuse me, Roger. May I trouble you once again? I have a new topic to ask you that may concern this tower."

"Anything, Professor du-"

Luke interrupted, "Please don't call Professah Layton 'dude' anymore."

"Oh, sorry dude."

The professor continued, "By chance, would you know anything about a 'White Atlamillia'? An acquaintance of mine believes that the snowfall occurring around this tower is caused by a supernatural influence."

"I don't know about any 'Atla-million' or whatever, but any weird stuff would be at this place called this 'Queens' place. They got stuff like masks, and medallions, and paintings, and... stuff. And most of that stuff has some kinda scary ghost story behind 'em."

Luke eyes had beamed at that moment, "The Queens Museum of Art... That must be what he's talking about!"

The professor was intrigued, "Luke, my boy. Do you know where we can find this museum?"

"Absolutely! My classmates from school and I go and visit there at least once a month. They're always showing new things there! Maybe someone will know about this 'White Atlamillia' there!"

The professor didn't have any better ideas, "I suppose it's worth a try."

The professor had turned to Roger, "I thank you again, Roger."

"Sure thing, professor du... oh right... almost forgot."

The professor and his companions left the snow tower and set off for this 'Queens Museum of Art'. Luke had attempted to give the professor the same directions he would always take when walking there from his home. Even in a big city like New York, Luke could learn the layout of most places quite well. He had outstanding recollection of anything that interested him after all.

However, there were some minor difficulties, "No, left professah... **Left!**"

"Now, Luke. That road was a one-way. I will need to simply drive around this building."

The Triton car had passed around a large building, only to have to go around another, "I will also have to drive around this building as well."

Normally, Luke could walk to the museum, but since they were using the Triton car, they couldn't drive across sidewalks. Unfortunately, the next road was also a one-way and forced another detour.

This cycle had repeated for a while now, "And I will have to drive around this building as well... and then this one... and this one... and this one... and this one... and..."

Luke felt aghast, "We're back where we **started**."

Professor Layton, Luke, and Flora were so caught up trying to find the correct road to drive on that they all had forgotten about something very important within their trunk.

To be more specific, they forgot about their suitcase, "Hey, I've been in this suitcase forever and I'm feeling like I'm in a stove! When can I **breathe** again?"

The professor had forgotten about Travis, who had been in the suitcase that had been in the trunk under the ninety-four degree weather, "Oh dear..."

He drove the Triton car to a nearby parking lot quickly and parked the car. There, he was able to get outside and open the trunk and suitcase.

Travis stretched out his joints and cracked his neck, "Oh man... Finally! Why did that take so long? It smelt like cooked food in there!"

Travis noticed the trunk was open, "Did you leave me in a trunk?!"

The others were understandably embarrassed by their lack of memory, especially Luke considering his usually exceptional memory, "Sorry about that... We were just so caught up in finding another clue about the snow tower, and you were so quiet tha- "

Travis mocked Luke, "We were just **soooooo** caught up in finding another clue, that we forgot that someone was in our suitcase, in a trunk, in the **scorching heat!**"

The professor offered an apology, "I apologize for my rudeness, Travis... Would you like to sit with Flora for a while?"

"Yeah, sure whatever... "

The group went back into the Triton car and resumed their attempt at finding a suitable road towards the museum. Travis noticed the radio within the Triton car, "Hey, what tunes we got?"

Luke had showed Travis a CD that was based on his previous adventures, "Do you like opera?"

Travis looked at it in a puzzled manner, "Janice Quatlane's The Eternal Diva..? Oh fine... It says 'nominated for best singing voice', so it's gotta be at least half-decent."

Luke put the CD in the car radio and turned up the music. The Triton car was filled with beautiful opera music. Travis didn't seem to care that much, though.

Flora assumed that Travis was still angry about being left in a suitcase and tried to cheer him up, "Travis, please don't be so mad... The professor had simply forgotten at the moment." He didn't mean anything horrid.

"Rotating saw blades don't **mean** to be dangerous to idiots that stick their hands near 'em, but fingers still fall off."

"Wh.. what I'm saying is... Well, the professor had left me behind a few times, but he's still my guardian. Like this one time in Dropstone, I was trapped in a barn and-"

Travis interrupted, "Wait, the professor, who is **your** legal guardian, had left you alone in a **barn**? Why would he..?"

Flora looked nervous, "Well, he was solving a mystery about a vampire and-"

Travis interrupted again, "Your dad left you alone so he could solve a mystery? Professor, am I hearin' this chick right?"

The professor explained, "These investigations can get quite dangerous at times, and I had a hunch that she was safe in Dropstone. I wanted to keep her safe and I know that she will understand some day."

Travis's jaw dropped, "A **hunch?!** You left your daughter alone in a barn because of a hunch?"

Now even the professor was getting nervous, "Yes, well... My hunch was correct."

Travis started to get angry, "But that's still a really stupid thing to do! You don't just ditch your kid so you can do what you want! You're supposed to be her **dad!**"

The professor had attempted to calm Travis down, "Now Travis, please remain calm and-"

Travis started to feel sick to his stomach and had one more thing to say to the professor, "Social services should be **ripping your balls off**, old man!"

Everyone else in the car was actually intimidated by the four foot panda at this point. Luke was visibly shaken from Travis's words. Flora was just barely holding in her tears. Even the professor had shivers down his spine, and it was very difficult to intimidate a true gentleman. The rest of the car ride had fallen into awkward silence. Thankfully, that ride wasn't very long as the group had found the museum. The parking lots were packed and there were barely any open spaces left. It took a few minutes to find one.

The professor had to remind everyone, "Now remember, we will be in a museum, so I want you both to be on your best behavior. And Travis, would you be willing to stay in the car while we are gone?"

"Sure, fine. If you find out anything about the White Atlamillia, you'll tell me about it, right?"

"Of course, Travis. Now Luke, you recall that I possess British pounds and not US dollars, correct?"

Luke gave a cheerful, "Your apprentice will save the day, Professah!"

And now for one more of Travis's comments, "You make your student pay for your research? In what way are you even capable of watching over kids?!"

Luke defended the professor, "The professah had taught me a great many things in our travels! He's a great man!"

Travis snarked silently to himself, "Yea, like how he taught you how to ditch your kid..."

**Now, there may be a few people that have been insulted by Professor Layton's lack of good judgment. Despite his amazing intelligence, he is still human, and is prone to mistakes like anyone else. Because of this, he will not be 'Mr. Perfect' in this unofficial trilogy. As always, feel free to review!**


	10. The Queens Museum of Art

The professor and his companions, minus Travis have arrived at the Queens Museum of Art. The interior of the building had a long red carpet on the marble tiles nearby each exhibit. There were beautiful chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, which had a starry sky pattern on it. The walls were polished to a mirror sheen, to the point that one could see their reflection on it. The trio could use some amusement after the professor got chewed out by Travis for his carelessness. He was very rude, but it seemed to everyone that he meant to show concern. Also, a true gentleman shouldn't let past situations bother him.

Professor Layton saw his reflection on one of the walls and made a pose involving a dramatic finger point towards the reflection. Luke made funny faces at his reflection, stretching his lips sideways with his index fingers and sticking his lower teeth outward. Flora spread out her dress in a ladylike manner while kneeling slightly in front of her reflection. After the trio had amused themselves for that brief moment, they looked around the 'Haunted Mansion' portion of the museum. If there was any place that would have information on the White Atlamillia, and possibly the snow tower, it would be there. There were two exhibits if interest regarding the mystery that Professor Layton set out to solve.

The first was a long black stone in a hollow casing that looked like the 'Yang' part of the Taoism symbol. There was another hollow casing next to the symbol, but it was empty. Below the symbol was the name of the exhibit, 'Black Atlamillia'.

Flora let out a shocked, "Atlamillia?! Professor, are you seeing this?"

"Yes, Flora... Perhaps the White Atlamillia that Travis was searching for has a counterpart to this Black Atlamillia..."

Above the exhibit was a stone with an inscription carved in it, which read:

_Two halves, balanced upon one another  
Eternal cycle of life and death  
Harness these stones with the lingering regrets of demise  
Grant thyself immortality and perfection_

Luke was fascinated by this message, "So the two stones are part of a legend..."

A mysterious voice came from behind the group, "Indeed they are, young man..."

The group turned around to see a young man with short, blond hair and glasses that seemed to exemplify his piercing silver eyes. He wore a red tuxedo with a black tie. For some reason, Flora was unnerved by his presence and clutched the professor's arm tightly.

The man had a tender smile, "Oh, I hope I didn't startle you. I am merely in favor of the young man's judgment."

The professor was curious, "And who might you be, sir?"

"Oh, my apologies. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Silver Queens. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, mister..."

"Professor Hershel Layton. And there are my companions, Luke Triton and Flora Reinhold."

"It's truly a pleasure. I see you have taken an interest to the Balance Atlamillia stones. We have much in common."

"Mr. Queens, are you the owner of this museum?"

"Ah, so you've noticed... That's correct! My great-grandfather had once travelled the world collecting interesting and unique artifacts such as this. I quickly realized that he had acquired so many, so eventually, he opened a museum in America. I am the fourth generation of possessors of this museum. The stone that you see in that exhibit is one of two stones called Balance Atlamillia, that is said to hold the balance between life and death."

"I see... Mr. Queens, would you know any more about this other stone? I believe it has something to do with a mystery that I'm trying to solve."

"I do not... As you can see, the other stone has eluded my grasp for the time being. One day, I hope to acquire it and add it to my collection. Perhaps then, the relation between the stones may be discovered."

"Well, Mr. Queens. I appreciate your time. We must be off now."

"I understand. Please enjoy your stay."

The group had left Mr. Queen's company to investigate the second exhibit of interest. It was an old photograph of the snow tower itself, which Luke had noticed first, "Professah! Look at this! It's the snow tower we're exploring!"

The professor was intrigued, "Ah, that it is, my boy. Now let's see..."

The professor was looking for differences between the picture of the snow tower that he received at the start of the mystery and the old black-and-white photograph that lay in front of him.

The professor muttered to himself, trying to piece together the differences, "Well, to begin with... This photograph was taken in 1909, back when the snow tower's construction had just finished. Hmm... There's no snowfall in this photograph... So it wasn't always a 'snow tower'... The outer walls and clock faces weren't built to the modern standard of today either...

The professor eyes had grown wider, "Hmm? What is this?"

Luke had failed to see what caught the professor's eye, "What is it, professah?"

"The peak of the snow tower..."

The professor hadn't noticed it before, but when comparing the two pictures, the top of the current tower is stretched out longer than the one in the old photograph.

The professor informed Luke and Flora of this observation, "Luke, Flora... I believe the answer to this puzzle may lie in the roof of the clock tower."

Both Luke and Flora were excited, "Then let's go, professah!" "Let's solve this mystery!"

The professor was humbled, "Yes, we should be off now."

When the group had reached the entrance that they entered from, three kids that were around Luke's age had just walked in.

Luke had yet another look of excitement, "Professah, those are my friends!"

"Hm?"

"The friends that I mentioned in the letter! There they are! I want them to meet you! I told them all about you!"

"Ha ha... Well, why not."

The first kid that Luke introduced was an African American boy with short black hair, brown eyes, and a green shirt and jeans, "Professah, this is Tyler."

The second kid was an American girl with long braided red hair, blue eyes with freckles on her cheeks, and a pink shirt and matching pants, "And this is Rebecca."

The third kid was an American boy with scruffy red hair, blue eyes with freckles much like Rebecca, and a black shirt with a skull and crossbones on it and jeans, "And this is Dudley."

Luke turned to the professor and Flora, "Guys, this is the famous Professah Layton! Oh, and that's his adopted daughter, Flora."

Tyler spoke with a typical childlike voice, "Hey, Luke! Is that the same professor you're always talking about?"

The professor introduced himself, "Why yes! I am indeed Professor Hershel Layton. You must be Luke's new friends."

Rebecca sounded excited and had a very high-pitched voice, "Wow! Luke always like, **totally** told us about how you could solve every puzzle in the world. Is it true?"

The professor was humbled (again), "Oh, well puzzles are certainly an wonderful hobby of mine!"

Dudley was silent at first, but then spoke with a very low-pitched voice, "Your eyes are **dots**."

The professor felt awkward, "Yes, Dudley. I am aware of that. Thank you."

Dudley spoke again with the same tone, "Your hat's bigger than your **head**."

And again, the professor felt awkward, "Yes, I am aware of that as well."

Rebecca wanted to see the professor solve a puzzle, "Professor Layton? I have a **totally** cool puzzle for you, if you would like."

"Well, go right ahead, Rebecca. I love the thrill of a good puzzle!"

"Ok, there's this clock that doesn't have hands, but it can still tell time anyway. Why?"

The professor had answered this immediately, "Why, that is because the clock in question is an alarm clock."

The three kids were impressed, although to a puzzle aficionado such as Professor Layton, that was a trifle simple.

Luke told his friends, "Listen everyone! The professah, Flora, and I are going to solve the mystery of the Metropolitan Clock Tower. I'll be gone for a while, OK?"

Tyler spoke to Luke, "Alright then! See ya, Luke!"

Luke and Tyler pounded their knuckles together in a friendly manner.

The professor and his companions had parted with Luke's new friends and left the museum. It was time to return to the snow tower.

**After ten chapters, I finally got around to Luke's friends that he mentioned in his letter. That took forever... As always, feel free to review!**


	11. Travis's Motive

Professor Layton and his companions were now ready to return to the Triton automobile. Travis was still in the car, sitting in the middle part of the back row, with his stubby, furry legs stretched across the arms of the two front seats. His shoes and socks were off, and his black toes were flaking sock lint all over the front interior of the car.

The professor was thankful at the thought of having finally gained some new information, "While the information we have gained is merely in the realm of speculation, it is reassuring to know that we are no longer at a dead end in our journey."

Luke was slight shocked, "We were at a dead end? Professah, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I did not wish to concern you with that. Not to sound hostile, but I am aware of how intolerant you are of boredom."

"Well, I **did** have another suggestion if we didn't find anything."

The professor was intrigued at this hypothetical situation, "Really? What would that be, my boy?"

"The library."

"And what book would we seek?"

"Actually, professah, there are computers in the library. They have a free Wi-Fi connection that we could use."

The professor was now puzzled, "Wi-Fi? Luke, I believe we should leave the bonus downloaded puzzles until after the mystery is solved."

"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about finding the answer on how to continue our journey, in case we get stuck again."

The professor was now mildly nervous, "Are you suggesting we just let the internet solve our puzzles for us?"

Luke seemed convinced, "Why not? It's quick and easy, and it's only when we get stuck. We just go on 'Google', type in 'Professah Layton and the' followed by whatevah adventure we need help in, then type the chaptah or puzzle that we're stuck on, and we'll get the answer!"

The professor's nervousness turned to a stern facial expression, "Luke, that is not the intended method of solving the puzzles set in front of us. If we are facing a challenging obstacle, it is our obligation to use our minds to their fullest extent to conquer those obstacles. In addition to that, just think of all the time and dedication one would put into these puzzles. To find answers to puzzles in that manner is simply an insult to all of the academics that were responsible for its conception."

"But, It's just so **boring** when we get stuck! The answer isn't always clear, either. Sometimes, we have to go somewhere or talk to someone that has nothing to do with our objective. We end up traveling around **all** the same places that we've been, and talking to **all** the same people we've talked to, and hearing **all** of the same phrases that they have to say. It's bullocks!"

While the professor silently agreed, his point of view was unchanged, "My point is that we should simply perform our investigations truthfully, and without spoiling the journey or its answers when it is not yet time. A true gentleman never looks at spoiler tags."

Luke gave a disappointed, "I undahstand, professah..."

Meanwhile, Flora just opened up the back door and sat back in her seat. She heard the song that Travis was listening to, and was actually quite delighted. She found herself jamming to the beat of the music with an open smile and closed eyes, holding an imaginary electric guitar.

The professor had saw the movements that Flora was making, "What on earth?"

He and Luke were still out of earshot of the music. It took until they got back in the car to find out that Travis was playing some loud electric guitar music.

The professor had to turn the volume down slightly so he could be heard, "Um, Travis? Did you place Flora's music in the radio?"

Travis stretched out of his comfortable position, "Yea! It's called 'Guilty Love' by Klavier Gavin. Now, I ain't gonna diss 'Eternal Dollie'-"

Layton corrected him, "It's diva..."

Travis shrugged, "Whatever. Anyway, what I'm sayin' is that Guilty Love's better."

Flora was practically squealing, "Hee hee! He's one of my favorites! He's blond, and German, and when he points, it just makes me want to go '**AIIEEEEEE!**'"

The ears of everyone else was now in pain from Flora's squealing. The professor turned the radio off, to Travis's dismay.

"Hey, what did ya do that for?"

"I merely need to have your attention for a moment. I believe I have some helpful information on this 'White Atlamillia' that you seek."

Travis was actually interested for once, since his ears pointed upward slightly.

The professor continued, "It would appear that this 'White Atlamillia' is but one of two halves. The 'Black Atlamillia', which is the other piece was located in the museum."

Travis looked disappointed, "Uhh... So?"

"You had wished to find it, correct?"

"Yea, but how does knowing there's a black one help me?"

"This is merely speculation on my part, but I have something to ask you. Why is it you wish to find this 'White Atlamillia'?

"I'm on a job. What's that have to do with anything?"

The professor was puzzled, "A job? Would you care to explain more?"

Here's one of Travis's trademark comments, "Do I have to use big, British words?" Every time Travis said a word in emphasis, he curled and uncurled his index and middle fingers, "This is a job that I have because I was **hired... employed...** Uh... **working...**"

The professor had grown accustomed to Travis's snarking by now and shrugged it off, "Of course. What I mean to ask is who it was that hired you, if it is not confidential information, of course."

"To answer your question, I was hired by some 'Silver guy' to find it."

"Silver, you say? Do you mean Silver Queens?"

Travis's eyes rose in confirmation, "Yea, that's the one! Uh, wait... How do you know?"

"We had just met him before we left the museum. He's the proprietor of the museum and all of the exhibits there."

"Hah... How 'bout that... Yea, Silver's e-mail said that he's a collector, and that he heard of my services in dealing with the supernatural. Since the stone he wants is probably in a place that's crawling with the dead, he hired me to be the delivery boy."

Luke was curious, "E-mail? You mean you've never meant Mr. Queens in person?"

And now for another of Travis's comments, "Look at me, kid... Tell me what ya see..."

Luke stated simply, "A talking panda bear wearing lizard scales."

"Right... Now, you think anybody would take me seriously if they knew that I looked like the black-and-white man-child of the 'Downy bear' that always talks about how soft and cuddly it is?"

"Oh... I undahstand now."

"Yea... I put my ads online with my e-mail address, and check every day for a new job. Gotta earn a living..."

The professor understood as well, "Of course."

Travis stated the italics with a fake British accent, "You say _of course_ a lot."

The professor was used to it now, "We are returning to the snow tower. It would seem that there is a section at its roof that did not exist when it was first constructed. Perhaps there will be an answer there."

Travis agreed, "I don't have any better ide- Wait... Does that mean that..?"

Flora opened the professor's suitcase slowly, with a mischievous grin on her face. Travis had once again slapped his forehead in response.

Now for one final 'Travis comment', "If you forget about me again, I'll call Animal Rescue and tell 'em you neglected me..."

The group had arrived back at the snow tower at 11:30 AM.

**And in this chapter, we've... Wait, we didn't accomplish anything, did we? Oh, wait! We've learned Travis's reason for seeking the stone. I guess that's something...**


	12. The Necronomicon

Travis had looked upon Professor Layton's suitcase with contempt, for it was time to bury himself within a prison of notebooks and graham crackers. The professor's belongings were surprisingly messy and unorganized, which is a large contrast to the outward appearance of the English gentleman. Without further delay, Travis climbed in the suitcase and braced himself. The professor was the one who was carrying the suitcase, and while he didn't notice when Flora snuck within it, it's certainly much heavier now. A true gentleman would never discuss someone's weight however, so he kept it to himself. The professor and his companions, and his suitcase, had returned to the entrance of the snow tower.

The employee remembered the professor from a few hours ago, "Afternoon, sir. Visitor's card?"

The professor flashed out his visitor's card that he got from Roger, "Here you are."

"Right, thank you and have a nice day."

The professor and his companions had reentered the snow tower. They needed to find Roger again, much to the professor's dismay. The thought of hearing 'Professor dude!" once again had simply filled him with anguish, but the professor would persevere for the sake of knowledge.

Roger noticed the professor approach the information stand, "Hey, professor dude!"

"Ah, we meet again, Roger!"

"Yea! Hey, stay right there for a sec! I have a buddy that needs your help!"

"Someone is in need of my assistance? Of course... A true gentleman would always aid someone in need."

After about two minutes, Roger had returned with his friend. He was an employee in the snow tower, like Roger was, and wore the same blue uniform that Roger did. He had long, thin, brown hair and his face had an almost intoxicated expression. His name tag read 'Andrew' on it.

Andrew spoke with a laid-back and lazy tone, like Roger did, "Hey, you're the 'professor dude' that Roger was talkin' about!"

The professor thought to himself, _"My word, they're multiplying..."_

He also spoke a much more polite, "Andrew, you must be Roger's companion. I was informed that you were in need of my assistance."

"Yea! See, Roger told me you're like, really smart, like 'Jeopardy smart'. And I was like, wondering, if you knew the answer to my problems."

The professor was actually interested, "What sort of predicament are you in, my good man."

"See, I'm trying to score this chick..."

The professor was not familiar with the lingo of today's youth, "You wish to 'score' with a 'chick'? Is this an outdoor game of some sort?"

Luke had been in America for six months and did in fact, understand Andrew's meaning. He quickly explained to the professor, "Professah! What Andrew wants is to find a suitable female partner!"

The professor understood from there, "Ah, you are seeking courtship with a lady. Well, I would suggest that you speak to her become acquainted with the young lady. Learn what activities that she enjoy and try to find something you both find in common. When enough time had passed, you may try to form a deeper and more intimate connection with the young lady. Do this in a gradual manner until-"

Andrew had interrupted here, "Uh, that's not exactly my problem. See, I like, tried that already, and she was all, 'Eww! You're creepy...'. And when I kept following her, she just got all scared of me. Then, a police dude showed up and said that she filed this 'Restraining Order' against me."

The professor was a bit unnerved at this point, while Andrew continued, "He said if I keep following her, I'll go to jail. What I wanna know is if there's like, some kinda loophole or something. You know, like what lawyers do."

The professor had officially went from unnerved to shivering, "Uh... I do not believe that there is. If this young lady had filed a restraining order against you, it would probably be your best interest to simply move on and find another lady."

Andrew sounded disappointed, "Oh... Hey, if you ever find a loophole, you'll come back to help, right?"

Now the professor had just sighed to himself, "I... suppose a true gentleman should still aid someone in your predicament... Probably... If I have learned any information on that matter and return here, I will be sure to inform you."

Both employees said in unison, "Thanks, professor dude!"

The professor's thought had turned to Travis, who had now been left in his suitcase for probably twice as long as he should have. He heard a quiet and sarcastic voice come from his suitcase, "You know, today you can tell everyone you know that you've achieved something that has never been done before! You left a talking animal inside your suitcase for the express purpose of helping some creepy **nutcase** give birth to a line of equally disturbing children! Pat yourself on the back, Professor Layton, for your guidance to this mentally challenged individual shall **usher** in a new age of earsplitting loud schoolgirls begging for mercy and DUIs for the next generation to embrace... **Congratulations!**"

"Now, Travis, do not be so pessimistic about this young man. He is simply smitten with a young lady and had sought my aid."

The professor had turned to Roger, "Ah yes! There is something I have come to ask you. I wish to investigate the peak of this tower. I have reason to believe that there may be an answer to this mystery there."

"Sure thing, professor dude! There's an elevator all the way at the right hand side of us. Are you gonna need someone to escort y'all?"

The professor thought about Travis being stuck in his suitcase again, "No thank you, Roger. We appreciate the help that you have given us."

Getting out of sight of the employees will give Travis the opportunity to exit the professor's suitcase. Without further delay, the group used the elevator to the top floor. The interior of the elevator was very sleek and metal and the buttons glowed when pressed. When Travis heard the elevator door close, that was his cue to bust out of the suitcase.

Travis stretched out his limbs, "Aaah... Finally, maybe now we'll find something useful for once..."

The snow tower had over a hundred floors, so the elevator ride took about ten minutes. When the elevator door finally opened, the group saw a very barren and dark room, lit only by the sunlight coming through the giant clocks. Visitors climb this far to see New York from above, so the group had come to the same. The view was spectacular! The large building that the professor saw from below, now looked very small in comparison. There were hundreds of these building sorted neatly within the city. After the brief observation, the group did the same thing that they did to the wishing well. They looked around the walls for any hidden buttons or levers. Because of the darkness, it was difficult to see anything. The search continued for about five minutes until Luke pulled on a broken lamp. The lamp had actually pulled downward, opening an inconspicuous door within the walls.

"Professah! Look at this!"

Within the secret door was another room, but it was far from the featureless room in the previous room. There were eerie candles lit on the walls within the room. There were bookshelves with neatly organized books with skulls and strange symbols on their covers. But the most disturbing thing within the room was on the floor in the very center of the room. There was a red pentagram painted on the floor with candles lit on each of its corners. The entire group, with the notable exception of Travis, had a very dreary feeling in their stomachs. In fact, Travis looked almost as if he had expected this.

Without delay, Travis let his experience as a hunter take over, "Alright, there's definitely ghosts here."

Luke let out a surprised, "Huh?"

Flora let out an unnerved, "G-ghosts?"

The professor had simply remained calm and silent.

Travis continued, "Look through those bookshelves! Try and find something that has to do with the living dead."

Seeing no better option, the group had investigated immediately. In almost no time, the professor had found a book of peculiar interest. It was a thick black book titled 'Necronomicon'.

The professor had felt a surge of terror reach his spine, "My word..."

Travis's suspicions were confirmed, "Yep, I knew it. Necromancy!"

This revelation had caught the group's attention. Travis continued, "Somebody summoned some ghosts here, for what reason, we still don't know. This book is proof of that much! Hmm... Since this snow tower isn't considered haunted by the public... There must be a spiritual portal nearby!"

The professor was now very intrigued, "What exactly is a 'spiritual portal'?

"It's a dimension meant to trap ghosts, so that means they can't leave the tower and remain hidden from other people. That could also mean that this 'Snow Angel' you asked me about earlier may be within this dimension as well."

Travis drew out what appeared to be two handles attached to the scales of his clothing. They each had levers pointing to symbols representing flames, a drop of water, a lightning bolt, a gust of wind, a shooting star, and a black 'X'. Travis grabbed these handles tightly, shooting out surges of power. When fully extended, these handles actually looked like glowing swords!

Luke asked Travis, "Are those... light sabers?"

"Something like that, yea. Most ghosts are very hostile to the living, so I use these to destroy them. They aren't like normal weapons."

The professor was still disbelieving of all this since there could still be a more logical explanation, but he played along, "So, where may we find this spiritual portal?"

"Well, ghosts that are still bound to the earth are attracted to it, so most likely, we would find it in the basement, closest to the earth's core. I can tell you still don't believe me, but trust me when I say there's actual logic to ghosts, just like anything else."

**I wanted to be different from the stereotypical 'Ghostbuster' with their vacuums. Light sabers are just more awesome anyway! As always, feel free to comment!**


	13. Realm of the Dead

Professor Layton was now in complete disbelief of this entire situation. Everything from the 'Necronomicon' book to the White Atlamillia had made absolutely no logical sense. Although, perhaps the most unbelievable thing was Travis's answer to this mystery in the first place: necromancy! However, a true gentleman must always be willing to learn and make his judgments from an unbiased point of view. Since he lacked any better ideas, he decided to take Travis's claims of there being basis towards ghosts to heart. It would also be a good idea to record everything he saw and heard here, so he wrote his findings along with Travis's claims in his journal.

Once the professor was finished writing, he picked up the 'Necronomicon' book, "Perhaps we should take this book and study it. If Travis's claims are indeed correct, this book should yield many answers to our mystery."

Flora was clearly in fright, "W-wha? But he said there were GHOSTS! A-and this place is so creepy! I-I don't want that book to EAT ME! B-besides... A gentleman shouldn't take things... t-that aren't his... Right? Because that's stealing, and gentlemen shouldn't steal... A-and... A-and..."

The professor tried to comfort his daughter, "Now, Flora... Do you understand why I wanted to leave you back home earlier? I wanted you to be safe, but you deliberately disobeyed me, and followed me here without my knowledge or permission. I have gotten myself into uncomfortable situations in my past travels many times, and any future mysteries may also be just as daunting. As for the manner of thievery, rest assured that I will return this book right here when we are done with it. From the looks of this place, I doubt anybody would have anything wholesome with this book in mind anyways."

Now Flora was frightened for the professor's safety, "Ok, but just be careful. I don't want to see you get killed like in the murder mysteries I read."

Once again, the professor comfort his daughter, "Do not fear. What harm could reading material ever do?"

"O-oh! One more thing! Don't read any incantations or poems out loud! I don't want you to summon some ball or fire or something!"

"Very well, Flora. Would that be all?"

"Yes..."

Luke had an idea, "Professah? Before we read the book, why don't we try and find this portal that Travis was talking about. I don't want to sound rude, but I'm quite skeptical of everything Travis just said, and I want to see this for myself before we bother reading that book. This could all be a facade, like every other mystery we've solved."

The professor was in complete accord of Luke's common sense, "I agree. Travis?"

"Yea?"

"Would you mind if we accompany you towards this 'spiritual portal'? We wish to see this other dimension with our own eyes."

Travis had no reason to argue, "Sure, whatever. Like I said, these portal tend to be underground, so we need to check the basement. Besides, I was gonna ask you to take me there anyways."

Luke was confused, "Ask us?"

Travis pointed to the professor's suitcase, "Yea, since I need to ride the _schizophrenic machine_..."

"Oh, right..."

Travis nodded his head in response. It was time to go back to the elevator now. The professor had recalled a 'B' button in the elevator, which stood for basement. It would be easy to investigate there really quickly before they return to the first floor. The professor and his companions had began the long descent which, once again, lasted about ten minutes.

When they finally reached the basement, Travis began to climb in the professor's suitcase again. However, just like the top floor, there were no people in sight, so Travis just shrugged his arms and abandoned the suitcase. Travis had immediately pulled out some sort of smooth, black object that was the size and of similar appearance to a cell phone. He held it in front of him with his arm pointed straight, using his waist to turn each direction.

Luke was curious, "Hey, Travis? What's that contraption you're holding?"

Travis answered in an indifferent tone, "My PDA. I scan all kinds of supernatural things, like ghosts or demons, to learn about 'em, like what kind of abilities they have, or what element they're weak to. At this point, I'm using it to find this portal. Usually, they aren't visible in plain sight, and can't be touched or messed with, but if I examine it with the PDA, I can activate this portal. In simple terms, it's basically a fairy companion from the old Zelda legends."

The professor smiled in reminiscence, "Ah, the Legend of Zelda had some truly wonderful puzzles."

Luke was just even more curious, "But, how did you get something like that? I've never even seen a PDA like that!"

Travis answered bluntly, "Internet."

Luke shrugged his arms as Travis continued his search. The basement was full of wooden crates and was very dark. The walls were made of gravel and stone, and there weren't any lights at all. The green light coming from Travis's PDA was supplying the only source of illumination. After only a couple of minutes of searching, the PDA light had began to flash blue.

Travis smirked in response, "Here it is..."

He began to hold his PDA in front of the wall where the PDA flashed with his arm straight. He held down a small button, and a tiny flash of light came from the PDA, which scanned the area. In very little time, a glowing black, circular silhouette appeared on that wall.

Travis pointed at the silhouette, "Well, you wanted in, right?"

After that, Travis just walked through the wall where the silhouette was, as if it wasn't even there, much to the surprise of everyone.

The professor let out a stunned, "My word..."

Soon enough, everyone else followed Travis through this silhouette. This silhouette had indeed felt like a tunnel or portal of some kind. At the end of the tunnel, was a room almost a faithful recreation of the same basement they had just come from. However, it was also very different. The walls of stone and gravel in this room had a red tint to them, and the room itself had a very cold feeling to it. It was much different than the cold from the snow tower. The place where the black silhouette was had been replaced by a bright light in this room. In every aspect, this room felt very gloomy and depressing compared to its counterpart. The professor and his companions were watching Travis walk to the elevator, which was also similar to the elevator back through the portal, and followed him.

Like the other room, this elevator was nearly exactly the same, yet very different than its counterpart. The elevator also had a red tint to it, and the buttons felt cracked and rough.

Here was Travis's first warning in this dimension, "Now, I better warn you all before we continue. All of the electrical stuff in this dimension has the tendency to... well, basically screw with you. You better grab on the railings!"

Travis pressed the first floor button, and the elevator started. At first, it moved like normal, but then it stopped for a moment. Then, just as suddenly as it stopped, it started going up VERY FAST! The elevator had reached its destination very quickly, and when it did, the entire group was actually flung out of the elevator onto the floor!

**Nothing interesting to say, except feel free to review!**


	14. The Hunted and the Hunter

Professor Layton and his companions had their faces on the cold, hard ground after having been flung out of an elevator! The first thing that the professor had noticed in front of him was the room that he was now in. Just like the other rooms, it had looked extremely similar to the entrance of the snow tower in the other dimension, only with some twist. The place was very barren and felt void of any kind of life. The whole room had a blue tint to it and the clocks above him were twisted and deformed. There were no tourists or information stands either. All was silent in this room.

Flora held her head after having been flung out of the elevator, "Ow..."

Luke was curious at the group's whereabouts, "Professah? Are we back in the snow towah?"

"I do not believe we are, my boy. Travis has guided us this far, so perhaps he may have insight on our current whereabouts."

Travis was very familiar with this, "Yea, this is definitely the inside of a spiritual portal. Ok, before you continue your investigation here, I better warn you about a few things. First off, there are ghosts here. Lots of them! And most of 'em are very hostile to the living, and will attack you on sight. They're real, they're vicious, and they'll turn you into a shish kebab if you just stand there like an idiot!"

The professor was in disbelief of the concept of ghosts, "Travis, how will we be able to tell between a phony apparition and the genuine article?"

"A good way to tell a real one from a fake one is to throw something, like a stone at it. If it passes through it like it wasn't even there, it's real. And if it's real, as you are right now, you couldn't even fight a ghost if you tried. So, if you see a real one, don't be stupid and stand still, just flee."

The professor was still in disbelief of the whole 'ghost' theory, but relented in making another suggestion. After all, Travis seemed to know more than anyone else.

Luke had an idea to continue this investigation, "Professah! Why don't we try the wishing well again?"

The professor was confused, "The wishing well? My boy, we would have to leave through this portal and go-"

Luke interrupted, "No, professah! I'm talking about the wishing well counterpart in **this** dimension."

The professor's confusion turned into intrigue, "Ah... Go on."

"That wishing well was supposed to be blessed by an angel, at least that's what Mrs. Grant told us. Maybe we might see the angel in **this** dimension."

"I suppose it's worth a try, but Travis seems to be the one with the most insight about this subject."

The professor turned to Travis, "Travis, did you take notice of Luke's suggestion?"

"Yea, that might work. Maybe... A spiritual portal is like an alternate dimension of the same place where the rift opens. In simple terms, it's like the light world-dark world thing in the old Zelda legends."

The distance between the wishing well and the snow tower in this dimension is proportional to the distance between back in New York, so the group knew where to travel already. The outside streets were just like everything else before this, they were very similar, but with some key differences. The snow tower that the group had exited from was the most different in its exterior. The snow that was falling around the tower back in New York is completely absent with the exception of where the peak of the tower was. More specifically, the area where the clocks used to be visible is completely covered by what looks like an enormous cyclone made of snow. The sky was purple and the clouds were very dark. The roads and sidewalks were cracked. Some of the buildings have collapsed completely, leaving only rubble and ruin in its wake. The air outside was very cold, but in a terrifying way, as opposed to the winter feeling back in New York. In conclusion, this place had looked like the world had experienced an apocalypse.

Without hesitation, the professor and his companions had set out for the wishing well again, only in this dimension. They passed through the same sidewalks and alleys like last time, but on the way, they heard what sounded like a cheering audience in the direction of the well. In about two minutes, the group had arrived at the well and saw the back of a transparent figure juggling what looked like balls of fire. It looked something like an entertainer performing his main act. The group had appeared to have arrived during the conclusion of this act, as this figure was bowing downward toward... nothing. And yet, there was applause heard in the winds, even though nobody was clapping.

Flora responded to this first, "Is that a... ghost?"

The professor, remembering what Travis instructed, grabbed a nearby stone.

Before he had time to throw it, the figure turned over to Flora's direction, staring at her with glowing red eyes and an angered expression. This figure whispered words that sounded like gibberish. Travis drew his light sabers out in response, called 'Spectral Blades'. In the blink of an eye, this figure moved toward Flora in only a split second, and began to attack! The fingernails on the figure's hands extended about two feet in length and looked like they were lit on fire! In an instant, this figure was in reach of Flora, and pushed her on the ground, while shrieking an inhuman scream. It then mercilessly clawed her face with its flaming nails, causing Flora to scream in anguish!

The professor and Luke had tried to help Flora, by trying to grab this figure. However, their hands and bodies went right through it, as if it didn't even exist! Meanwhile, Travis had pointed the levers on his Spectral Blades towards the symbol resembling the drop of water, which took him a few seconds. When he did, the energy coming from his blades turned into a clear, blue liquid, much like water. Travis attacked this figure with a horizontal slash, which cut the figure's flaming nails right off. This caused the figure's attention towards Travis, but that put it in position for a finishing blow. Quickly, Travis folded his arms in an 'X' shape and swung them both horizontally like a pair of scissors. The blades cut through this figure's neck and decapitated it, causing ectoplasm and ash to squirt out of its neck! The figure, now destroyed, had eventually evaporated to dust.

The professor and Luke turned towards Flora, who was badly injured by this figure. There were burns and gashes all over her face, and she was crying in unbearable pain! Her blood was spilling off of her face and all over the ground!

The professor was examining his daughter closely, "Flora! My word, I've got to get you medical treatment right away!" Turning to Travis, he then asked, "Travis, was that a..?"

"Yea, **that** was a ghost. You still gonna give that skeptical crap?"

The professor was clearly horrified, and silently shook his head. He quickly scooped up Flora and began to walk back towards the snow tower, where the spiritual portal was. He had to get everyone out **now!** Just as the group was about to leave, there were two more ghosts standing in the way. One of them looked like a fat, bald person and had gusts of air coming from its gaping mouth. The other one looked barely human at all, and had a large eyeball where its mouth should be, and two tongues where its eyes should be. Its feet were where its hands should be, and vice versa. The eyes (and eyeball of the second one) were glowing red, just like the last one.

Travis took note of the wind coming from the first one and the barely human features of the second one, "Ok, wind and dark."

He turned the levers on his blades again. One of them pointed toward the lightning bolt, and the other pointed toward the shooting star. Each of his blades turned into what looked like a lightning bolt and a ray of sunlight respectively. He was ready to attack them! Before Travis and the two figures could clash with one another, there was a familiar comfort in the air all of a sudden.

Luke remember it immediately, "That's... that's the music we heard back at the snow tower!"

The professor nodded his head, "Is this where it comes from?"

All of a sudden, the once-hostile ghosts had calmed down and their eyes stopped glowing. They just stood there, with their expressions relaxed. Travis didn't understand what was going on, but he didn't hesitate. He slashed at the two immobilized ghosts with his blades, using the lightning blade on the wind ghost and the sunlight blade on the homunculus ghost, destroying them both.

The professor stated his first priority, "We must escape this place now! Flora needs to get to a hospital and this music won't be in the air forever, so we must use this chance!"

Luke agreed, but Travis wasn't leaving yet, "Professor, I'm gonna look for the White Atlamillia here while you're gone."

"Travis?"

"Don't worry about me! You saw me earlier, I know what I'm doing! I think the top of that tower is where I'll find it. If I see anything about the snow mystery, I'll tell ya, OK? Least I can do for helpin' me get this far!"

The professor and his companions parted with Travis here. As the professor, who was carrying the injured Flora, and Luke, who was beside him went through the spiritual portal, filled with light, Travis ascended up the strange tower back in the other dimension alone.

**I can see the fanboys yelling at me now! Yes, something actually hurt Flora, and yes, there was blood and screaming. This story is going to get a lot darker from here on out. Believe me, you haven't read anything yet! As always, feel free to review!**


	15. It's A Long Way Up

**Sorry that this story is taking longer and longer for me to update. I had just started college and I now have to study and read a lot. Anyway, here's the fifteenth chapter!**

The only thoughts on Professor Layton's mind were about the bloodied and burned young lady that he was carrying in his arms. The one young lady that should have been safe and protected back in London, to be more specific. And now, Flora may be suffering injuries that may traumatize her for the rest of her life! The professor and Luke raced outside of the spiritual portal and back to the snow tower in New York. Their first priority is to get Flora to a hospital. They got back in the elevator and rode up to the first floor. The professor couldn't help but feel impatient for the contraption, even though it was just an elevator. When the professor, who was still carrying Flora, and Luke arrived at the first floor, the professor immediately went to the emergency phone and dialed 999.

Luke noticed this immediately, "No, professah! We're not in London anymore! You have to dial 911! That's the emergency number!"

The professor heeded his apprentice's advice and dialed 911 this time.

Roger had walked in on the professor using the emergency phone, "Hey professor dude, that phone's for emerge-" Then, the employee noticed Flora, "Whoa! What happened to missy?"

The professor just ignored him as soon as the operator responded, "911 emergency service, can I help you?"

The professor cleared his throat, "Yes, I must report major injuries and burns inflicted upon a young lady. I have need of an ambulance immediately!"

"Major injuries? Where's your address?"

"As of now, we are in 1 Madison Avenue. Please hurry!"

"Thank you, sir. We'll send a dispatch right over. How did this young lady suffer these injuries?"

The professor didn't really know how to explain. After all, a **ghost** had injured Flora. And on top of that, it was all in another **dimension**. The only thing he could really do to prove his story is to show this portal to the police and make this public.

The professor took a deep breath, "These injuries are believed to have been caused by supernatural elements."

The operator was obviously in disbelief, since she was in silence for a moment, "Supernatural elements?"

"A spirit! I saw my daughter get viciously attacked by a spirit!"

"A spirit attacked your daughter? Ok, what did this _spirit_ look like?", the operator said spirit in an indifferent tone.

"I understand if you don't believe me. Just know that it's important that she gets to a hospital! I can show the police the evidence when they arrive."

"Very well, sir. Emergency services are on their way. Thank you!"

The ambulance would take time to arrive to help Flora. In the meantime, all that the professor could do was gaze upon his daughter's distorted face. Flora had large lacerations torn across her face, from her forehead to her lips. She also had burns on the cheeks underneath her large, innocent eyes. The time that it took for the ambulance to arrived seemed to last forever.

The professor couldn't help but think how this could have been prevented. He remembered about how she joined Luke and himself in the first place. It was because she didn't want to be alone and that she worried for the professor's safety.

The professor had thought to himself, _"It should have been me... I let you join us, and now you're in agony for it..."_

Like most parents in this situation, the professor had blamed himself for his daughter's suffering. All of this had happened because he had left to go solve a mystery. All because he let her join him and Luke, instead of traveling back to London. All because he **couldn't protect her!** Normally, a true gentleman wouldn't blame himself over the past. What's done is done, right? This was different than other past moments. It wasn't that he was angry at himself, he was **afraid!**

In reality, the ambulance had arrived in only five minutes. The emergency team quickly carried Flora in the ambulance and drove to the hospital. Meanwhile, the police had arrived to question the professor about what had taken place.

The officer approached Layton, "Sir, are you this young lady's father?"

"Yes, I am Hershel Layton."

"You said a spirit attacked your daughter?"

"Yes sir. Follow me, I can show you the spiritual portal."

The group went down the elevator and back to the black silhouette that signified the other dimension.

The officer pointed his flashlight towards the portal in a curious manner, "So, this spirit came from that hole in the wall?"

"Not entirely. We went in this dimension to attempt to find the source of the snowfall in this tower."

The officer was writing it all down in a notepad as the professor explained.

Meanwhile, Travis was still in the other dimension, ascending up the spiritual snow tower. Since portal counterparts of technology malfunction, Travis had to climb to the top of the tower using the stairs. From here on out, he would have to fight his way through each floor, ascending to the next one in succession. Travis remembers having to explore a dungeon in this manner, but he hadn't done so in a long time.

Travis spoke aloud to himself, "Ok, first think I gotta do is find the Gate Key... One of the ghosts in each floor have one, so I gotta keep slicin' them til I get it to drop. Then, use it at the floor exit to get to the next floor. Rinse and repeat... Also gotta keep an eye out for treasure chests and look for maps and crystals to make navigation easier."

Travis grinned at his next sentence, "And maybe find some loot like money or weapons in the process..."

Keep in mind that this dungeon is supposed to be about fifty floors, and I won't go into detail with each and every one. I will only explain the floors that have new features in them. Otherwise, the story would get **way** too repetitive.

The first floor was the introduction to the dungeon, known as the 'Tower of a Frozen Era'. The walls were cracked and had a red tint within. The monsters here were all basic ghosts like the ones outside. All Travis had to do was strike each ghost with the opposite element that they represent. Fiery ghosts were susceptible to water and ice. Frozen ghosts were susceptible to fire. Lightning is weak to wind, wind is weak to lightning, and dark and twisted ghosts were weak to sunlight. As long as Travis followed that method, each ghost could be destroyed in a single hit. Getting the gate key of this floor took very little time, and Travis had ascended to the next floor.

As soon as Travis had reached the second floor, Travis had heard what he thought was a soft, female voice echo through the walls, _"Whoever was ill-fated to come here, I beg you to leave this horrible place immediately. It is far too dangerous for the living to stay here."_

Travis responded to himself, "Is that a ghost's voice? It almost sounds human..."

_"The souls here are restless and will be very aggressive to anyone that approaches them. Please leave before you get hurt."_

Travis snarked to himself, "Hmph... A haunted place telling me to get out... That's original..."

The warnings fell on deaf ears. Travis didn't care to stop now. He had only just begun, and he wasn't going to leave without the White Atlamillia. After all, his rent's due.

**In the beginning of the story, I mentioned that there would be some Dark Cloud elements. As always, feel free to review. Otherwise, it just seems like nobody's even reading this story at all.**


	16. Metal Guardian

Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke, have been in the waiting room of the New York-Presbyterian hospital for over two hours. The professor was sitting silently in one of the hospital chairs and reading a book titled "The Aslant Legacy". Luke was sitting in another chair next to the professor and solving a puzzle in one of the hospital magazines. However, despite their distractions, the only thing that had consumed either of their minds was the basis of why they are there to begin with. Flora was just checked in the emergency room for second-degree burns and lacerations across her sweet, innocent face. The professor had upheld his calm and stoic nature on the outside, but on the inside, he was enduring a pain far greater than any individual should ever be forced to bear.

A young lady who was wearing one of the many hospital uniforms had walked in the waiting room. Her name was Elizabeth(at least that's what her name tag read). She is one of the nurses who works in this hospital, "Hershel Layton?"

The professor's posture rose in suspense, "Has Flora's condition improved?"

"Ms. Reinhold has been placed in Room 518. She's suffering from lacerations and second-degree burns that go down to her cheekbones and skull. She will require stitches and burn treatment for at least two weeks."

Both the professor's and Luke's mouths' dropped, "T-two... weeks?"

"Realistically speaking, a full recovery will more likely last a month."

The duo's hearts sank even lower, "Can we visit her?"

"We'll call you when her condition has improved. For now, she needs time to rest."

Elizabeth handed the professor a card with the hospital's phone number and logo.

The professor nodded, "Thank you, Elizabeth. Is there anything we can do to offer assistance?"

"No, the situation's under control."

"Please inform me when Flora recovers as soon as possible."

Professor Layton and Luke had left the hospital without another word. The silence dragged on until they reached the Triton car.

Finally, when Luke sat in the passenger's seat, he started weeping all of a sudden, "P-p-p-**profesaaaaaaah!**"

The professor understood immediately why Luke chose now to react like this. He held his composure like a true gentleman in public, and now he let his feelings out. Flora is like a sister to him, and to know that she's in such pain had undoubtedly put him in emotional distress. Luke grabbed the professor with a very firm grip and started bawling in his shoulder.

The professor did his best to comfort Luke, "There, there... Do not worry for Flora. She's in good hands, I assure you. The New York-Presbyterian hospital is one of the best hospitals in the world. She **will** make a full recovery!"

Luke's smiled slightly, "You really believe it, professah?"

"All we can do is hope for the best. The situation is no longer in our hands."

"That's- that's right, professah. What should we do now?"

"We should return to our mystery. We have much to research about the spirits that we've encountered."

Luke had an obvious idea, "Travis knew a lot about spirits. Let's go ask him!"

"Unfortunately, we are in no condition to seek him out. When we had parted last time, Travis had stayed in the ghost tower to explore it. We cannot hope to follow suit without ways to combat the hostile spirits. However, we do have one option..."

The professor had pulled the Necronomicon from the back seat, "We should learn of any information concerning supernatural power before returning to that dimension. For now, we should return to your home and devote time to delve into this book. It may yield some insight on how to protect ourselves."

The duo drove back home with the intent to discover the secrets of this Necronomicon, which was found at the top of the snow tower. The very presence of this book only offered more questions than answers. Why was there a "Book of the Dead" found at a tourist attraction? Would this book have anything to do with the eternal snowfall? Does this book relate to the White Atlamillia?

For now, we leave the professor and Luke to return to Travis's progress in the 'Tower of a Frozen Era'. While your attention was on the professor, Travis had ascended to the ninth floor. (Yes, Professor Layton's and Travis's pursuits are occurring simultaneously.) Within this level of the dungeon, the scenery as a whole was still very similar to the preceding floors. The walls were cracked, metal, and had a red tint. The floor was very icy and slippery and littered with broken tiles. The thing of most interest, however, were the new enemy types.

Within the preceding floors, the only enemies that were present were elemental ghosts. They were very vicious and horrifying to an unaccustomed victim. However, when facing Travis, who knew how to combat the supernatural, they were easily disintegrated by simply channeling the elemental typing that was opposite of the one that each ghost symbolized with his 'Spectral Blades'. Travis didn't even need to scan his adversaries with his PDA to know what to do.

This time, the enemies were much more varied. The first one that caught Travis's attention was what looked like a giant metallic robot. This thing looked like it was over eight feet tall and four feet wide, giving it a massive stature! It was covered in metal plates all over its body, shoulders, and legs, which made it look like a giant suit of armor. To complement its immense physique, it was carrying an enormous metal hammer, which looked heavy enough to level a small house in a single blow! Its feet had two large toes in the front of each of its feet as well as an even larger toe in back. Its head was very small by comparison, and its only distinguishing feature was a glowing white eye within a metal helmet.

Travis took one look at this colossus and sighed to himself in disgust, "A mighty glacier enemy? Those always take forever..."

Travis pulled out his PDA while this metal robotic enemy approached him. The icy ground cracked and shook with each step that this colossus took. Fortunately, this creature was very slow and would take a long time to get within melee range of Travis, so he could scan this new foe easily.

Name: Iron Sentinel  
Genus: Golem  
Height: 8' 6"  
Weight: 2,048.82 lbs.  
Element: None

This mechanical construct was created for the purpose of deterring intruders and thieves and was given life and purpose by a very powerful supernatural force. It is composed of hundreds of metallic plates linked and connected together into a vaguely humanoid shape. Direct combat is not advised due to its massive strength and stature and it cannot be lured or tricked into leaving its current position. If a potential intruder flees a sufficient distance away from this construct and its current defending point, it will not pursue its target and will return to its default position.

Travis noticed behind this Iron Sentinel was the exit to the next floor, "Seriously..? Well, I'm not gonna mess with **that** thing! Time to search for the key somewhere else."

Since all gate keys are carried by one of the enemies in each floor, Travis had a rather trembling thought, "_What if __**that thing**__ is holding the gate key? That would suck..._"

Abandoning the sentinel for now, Travis spots three more enemies. Thankfully, they're much less intimidating than the golem. They all looked like disembodied floating human skulls covered in flames. Their teeth grinded up and down wherever they were floating, which made a distinctive sound.

Travis noted to himself, "Well, they're probably flame ghosts, but I better scan 'em anyway."

Name: Burning Dead  
Genus: Undead  
Height: 1' 4"  
Weight: 3.14 lbs.  
Element: Fire

This creature is composed of a human spirit that had been violently burned to death and cannot rest. Like most forms of the undead, this one's torture was so great, it had lost all form of thought and reason and now only exists to spread its unquenchable agony to others. Its primary form of attack is to shoot a fireball from its gaping mouth. While its mouth renders it capable of harm, it is also a weakness. An astute adventurer can identify its presence by its distinctive teeth chattering and prepare themselves ahead of time. This creature is extremely vulnerable to low temperatures.

Travis raised an eyebrow when he finished reading his PDA, "Weak to low temperatures? Why are they in a so-called "Snow Tower" if they **hate** the cold? Stupid fanfic writer..."

Travis switched his weapon elements to ice and engaged these Flaming Dead. Just as the PDA scanned, these ghosts tried to attack with fireballs. Travis deflected them off with his icy blades, inching himself steadily closer towards these ghosts without letting his guard down. When he got within melee range of one of them, he quickly went on the offensive, slashing it horizontally between its teeth, and cutting it in half.

"Ok, simple enough..."

Travis repeated this pattern with the other two. They weren't very challenging in small numbers.

Travis looked around for any key drops, but to no avail, "Three down, no key..."

As Travis explored the rest of the halls on the ninth floor, he kept trying to think of ways to deal with the sentinel. He couldn't **beat** it as it was much stronger than him. He couldn't ignore it, since the exit to the floor is right behind it.

There was one thing that was obvious to Travis though, "Somebody's tryin' to keep me from reaching the top. There's gotta be a reason for it."

**I have to report that future chapters will take longer to type than the earlier ones did. I have college work now, and I have to focus on that first. Also, Borderlands 2 came out, so I'm gonna play that a lot too. Did you notice the "Mighty Glacier" specification that Travis noted: I surf TV Tropes. And Room 518, where Flora is resting, is an allusion to my birthday May 18th. As always, feel free to review!**


	17. Finishing the Ninth Floor

**I'm going to keep going in the pattern of splitting each chapter into two scenarios. The first scenario will describe Professor Layton's current objective and investigation. The second scenario will describe Travis's quest to conquer a dungeon (in Dark Cloud style). Each of these scenarios take place simultaneously, so I can only describe one scenario at a time. Most of the floors in the 'Tower of a Frozen Era' dungeon are very similar anyway. You wouldn't have wanted to read about all fifty floors. Until stated otherwise, each of my chapters will be like this from now on.**

_Professor Layton_

Professor Layton and Luke had just returned to the Triton residence since the last chapter. They had already explained Flora's condition to Luke's parents, as well as the spiritual portal within the snow tower. It wasn't that hard for them to believe, since there was breaking news highlighting a police report which gave details about the snow tower and Flora's injuries on Channel 4. Now, the professor is attempting to understand the Necronomicon. There were three known questions revolving around this book. Why does this book even exist? Why was this book found in a hidden room of a century-old clock tower? What does this book have to do with eternal snowfall and ghosts?

The professor sat on the couch and placed the macabre book on his lap. As he had prepared to open it, a deathly chill had intruded his spine. It wasn't like a regular cold chill, but a chill similar to the one he felt within the spiritual portal. The first page of the Necronomicon was a title page like any other:

_**νεκρός νόμος εικών**_

Luke was instantly confused, "Professah? What does this mean?"

The professor put his hand on his chin for a moment, "It is in the Greek language, my boy."

"Greek? I don't know any translators in America..."

"Do not worry, Luke. I have limited knowledge of the Greek language, but I'll see what I can decipher."

Luke was stunned, "You can read it, Professah? Well, how come you never told me?"

The professor grinned, "You have never asked me. I had learned to decipher ancient languages back in my college years, before I became an archaeologist. Many old legends are scarcely written in English, so it was necessary to learn ancient languages. I must admit that I am a bit rusty after all of these years, but I'll do my best."

The professor pointed his finger toward the first word and slid his finger across the other words while reading, "Necros... nomos... eikon...", which translates to, "Dead... law... image..."

To this conclusion, the professor made an assumption, "Perhaps this is a book of the laws that spirits undergo?"

The professor continued to turn each of the pages. The pages looked very wrinkled and felt like sandpaper to the touch. The first page read the following:

_**Να προσέχετε, για όλες αυτές τις ατυχείς βλέμμα από αυτό το κακό τον ογκώδη τόμο, τώρα για σας κρατήστε το δυναμικό για να καταδικάσουμε εσείς σε αιώνια αγωνία. Εάν σας λείπουν ένα ανθεκτικό καρδιά και μια πειθαρχημένη νου, δεν επιδιώκουν γνώσεις από αυτόν τον ογκώδη τόμο. **__**Έχετε προειδοποιηθεί!**_

The professor breathed deeply, "Luke, my boy. Would you kindly fetch me a cup of tea? This may take some time..."

"The usual, Professah?"

"Yes."

Luke went to prepare the Professor's beverage while he deciphered the old book. Whatever this book is, it certainly doesn't feel like it was made in this century. This was going to take **hours** to decipher...

_Travis_

Meanwhile, Travis was still on the ninth floor and was still trying to figure out how to get past the Iron Sentinel. It was slow and easy to outmaneuver, but every step it took shook the floor very hard, and the floor being slippery didn't help very much.

Travis had now sighted two treasure chests. Now, an experienced adventurer knows that chests can sometimes hold maps and crystals which can help in floor navigation. Travis opened the chest, and found the floor map.

Travis whispered silently to himself, "Ok, so according to the appearance of this room, I'm on the room directly east of the exit... Hmm... Why are there always treasure chests with maps and crystals here anyway, and who always puts 'em here?"

Travis went to open the other chest, except that it wasn't really a chest... A pair of arms and hands and a large eyeball popped out of the chest when Travis grabbed it. It then turned in his direction while Travis slapped his forehead.

Name: Mimic  
Genus: Demon  
Height: 1' 1"  
Weight: 67 lbs.  
Element: None

These crafty demons disguise themselves as treasure chests within dungeons to lure unwary thieves. When the mimic spots prey, it quickly unfolds and reveals itself, and attacks by leaping and biting its victim. Its bites have been known to cause infection if not treated quickly. Its weakness lies in its sole eyeball, and severing it will render the demon blind, if not dead. This type of demon is a classic among monsters, and it has surprised many adventurers over the years.

Now, any readers are probably wondering how Travis can scan targets and take the time to read the information without getting attacked or interrupted in the process. Well, the PDA is like a pause menu. The scan visor in the Metroid Prime series is a very good comparison. I know that fanfics aren't video games, but this one is BASED on a game.

Following the PDA's instructions, Travis stabbed the mimic's eyeball with his Spectral Blade. It didn't have an elemental typing, so setting the blade's element didn't matter. It was an easy kill. It took Travis a few more monster kills to find the gate key. I won't bother getting into too much detail, because they are all enemies that have been explained already: Five flame ghosts and two mimics. They would just be killed in an appropriate and monotonous pattern. Once he got the key, all he needed to do was get past the sentinel.

The mimics had given him an idea, "Maybe if I climb in one of these chests, I can pose as a mimic... It's a start..."

Travis climbed in the chest in the same manner that he used to climb in Professor Layton's suitcase: squashed and with no leg room...

He pulled his arms out of the chest and used them to maneuver himself without leaving the chest. It was very awkward, and he hoped that the sentinel wasn't very smart, since this disguise was basically crap.

There was one thing in particular on Travis's mind when he put his hands on the ice where the sentinel was, _"Cold, cold, COLD! Leg cramps... Arms cold..."_

Travis heard large and heavy footsteps coming towards him. Obviously, it was the sentinel, which wasn't fooled by this crappy disguise...

Travis quickly climbed out of the chest to jump out of the way from a blow against the sentinel's enormous hammer. The hammer smashed the chest to pieces while Travis landed face-first on the ice.

"Errhh..."

Travis drew his blades in a quick reflex, and as a last resort, "Hate to ignore my PDA, but I got no other options..."

Travis waited patiently for the sentinel to attempt to crush him again. The sentinel was slow, so he would try to use hit-and-run tactics, dodging the hammer when it crashed downward and quickly getting under the sentinel's iron legs when its hammer had already struck the ice. Travis got into a slightly bent stance, carving his feet into the ice so he wouldn't lose his footing when the sentinel shook the ice with each step, and waited in anticipation for his chance. After about fifteen seconds, the sentinel was in melee range (which for a giant made of iron is roughly four feet!) of Travis and began to lift its hammer upward. When the sentinel's hammer was aimed at Travis and was in a downward motion, Travis darted straight beneath the sentinel's legs. The force of the hammer's impact cause the ice behind Travis to propel him forward.

Travis climbed behind the iron sentinel and prepared to strike its back, "Ok... If video gaming teaches us anything, it's that big, giant, hulking, durable, unbreakable... **things**, have a WEAK SPOT!"

Travis plunged his blades in the sentinel's back, thinking he finally beat it!

**Spoiler alert: he didn't...**

Travis's blade barely chipped the sentinel at all. It only went about a couple of centimeters deep... If an iron sentinel could show emotion, the one he would be expressing wouldn't be pain, it would be irritation... The sentinel let go of its hammer to reach behind itself to grab Travis.

That gave Travis another idea, "The hammer..."

Abandoning his wrong genre savvy idea, Travis jumped off of the sentinel and back onto the ice. His footing wasn't very good when landing, and he ended up falling on his hands. Regardless, Travis skated himself toward the hammer and attempted to grab it.

Yes... **ATTEMPTED...**

The hammer, which was the main weapon for a giant made of iron and weighing over a ton, could lift it with ease. Travis on the other hand...

Travis just got a new message from his PDA while he was in a futile attempt to lift the giant metal hammer.

Update: The hammer of an iron sentinel weighs over 400 lbs and makes up about one-fifth of its total weight.

Travis's eye twitched in disgust, "Oh, **now** you tell me..."

The iron sentinel dragged its enormous metal legs toward its hammer in a slightly faster motion and grabbed its hammer with ease. It was now prepared to attack Travis once again. Travis was running out of ideas... The iron sentinel had no weak spots, and Travis couldn't use its weapon against it...

Before the iron sentinel could strike again, a strange calming music surrounded the dungeon, "Huh? It's that music from earlier..."

When the strange piano music sounded through the dungeon, the iron sentinel appeared to just calm down and render itself motionless.

Travis just stared at the sentinel in disbelief, "What? Are you kidding me? So my actual honest-to-god **tactics** don't work on it, but it calms down by **music?!** I swear... I hate deus ex machinas! A... and why didn't my PDA read anything about music? Sigh... There **better** be a good explanation for all this!"

Travis wasted no time in just running past the now inert sentinel. He had finally ascended to the tenth floor.

**I know that this chapter took about a week since the last update. As I typed before, I have college work and Borderlands 2 gaming that I have to do, so I can't update that much often as I used to.**


	18. Ambition

_Professor Layton_

Professor Layton had been recording many of the words from the Necronomicon neatly on lists of separate pieces of paper and had written their English translation right next to them. It's been over four hours and there were about a half dozen empty tea cups scattered across the table. This isn't the first time that Professor Layton crammed himself in his work, and it probably won't be the last, but he needed a way to preoccupy himself to take his mind off of Flora's condition.

Luke had just finished napping earlier after the long ordeal concerning Flora and the spiritual portal He yawned loudly and plopped himself on the couch with the professor, "Have you solved the book yet, professah?"

"Patience, my boy. This book will take quite some time to decipher. I have only finished about half of it."

Luke yawned again and then glanced at the professor's ever-growing accumulation of translations from the book. Note that these translations were only from the first page, and the other translations were in a stack below this page and hidden from view.

**νεκρός** - dead  
**νόμος** - law  
**εικών** - image  
**προσέχετε** - beware  
**όλες** - all  
**ατυχείς** - unfortunate  
_**βλέμμα**_ - gaze  
**κακό** - mischief  
**τόμο** - tome  
**δυναμικό** - potential  
**καταδικάσουμε** - condemn  
**αιώνια** - eternity  
_**αγωνία**_ - anguish  
**ανθεκτικό** - strength  
**καρδιά**- heart  
**πειθαρχημένη** - discipline  
**νου** - intellect  
**επιδιώκουν** - pursuit  
**γνώσεις** - knowledge  
**προειδοποιηθεί** - warning

Luke was puzzled by these translations, "Professah? These words..."

The professor nodded, "Yes, my boy. It appears that these words are meant to warn readers of this book. However, in order to continue our investigation, we must gain valuable insight on spirits, and this book is our paramount option."

Luke glanced back at the Necronomicon pages that the professor was currently translating and noticed a small silver vial in between the two pages that were currently open. The vial was roughly six inches in length and had a rough, metal spike sticking out of one of the ends. The spike had an inscription that read "**Ψυχή και σάρκα**".

Luke pointed at the vial, "What's that, professah?"

The professor pulled several of vials our of his coat pocket similar to the one on the book, "I am not entirely sure at the moment. I had found several of these 'containers' within the book. If these translations are correct, I believe that these containers are meant to hold spiritual energy. Well, plausibly..."

Luke looked bored out of his mind. He couldn't help the professor very much, since he couldn't decipher the text in the Necronomicon, and the professor was working on the book for hours. In the end, he decided that the best way to help would be to check out the local library. Hopefully, there would be more books with information on spirits and unnatural weather.

"Professah? Mom? Dad? I'm taking my bike to the library! I'll be back soon!"

Clark had to remind him, "Don't forget to be home before seven!"

Luke gave a cheerful smile, "I won't!"

Luke was almost delighted to leave the house. He was bored out of his mind for hours, and while he was bored, all he could think of was how Flora was doing in the hospital. During the last time he saw her, her face was horribly mutilated by a vicious ghost. This was, of course, detailed several chapters ago. Immediately, the cheerful attitude that Luke showed earlier had slipped. Luke was riding his bicycle on his way to the library with a rather serious look about him now.

Luke didn't have any romantic feelings for Flora, but she was like a sister to him. And, the sight of something harming Flora, and with Luke being unable to defend her in any way, had sickened him for a while. In his mind, Luke vowed to find a way to defend himself and the professor from these ghosts. He wasn't sure if it was to aid the professor or just some kind of base revenge, but he wanted to be able to do **something**. He didn't ever want to be helpless while someone else close to him was getting hurt ever again! He would find a way, or his name wasn't Luke Triton!

The library was about a fifteen minutes bike ride from home, and it was about 5:30. This gave Luke a little over an hour to do some research on the supernatural and check out some books. Luke quickly went toward the biography section. Most books in the supernatural section are just fiction, and what Luke needed was an actual biography of someone who hunted supernatural entities. There were also computers with a Wi-Fi connection if that didn't work, but first, Luke needed to check out some books to take home with him, so he and the professor can study them for the night.

Within about ten minutes of searching, Luke found four books of interest: 'True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena', 'Life After Death: A Documentary', 'Beyond the Physical Realm', and 'Outside the Naked Eye'.

Luke took the books over to the librarian's desk, "Pardon me, miss... Are you busy?"

The librarian had her stereotypical appearance, which would be a buttoned shirt, her hair in a bun, and thick glasses, "No, young man. Need a checkout?"

Luke nodded, "Yes, miss."

The librarian (whom I will not delve into at all, since she is not important to the plot in any conceivable way) wrote the book codes down in the checkout book. When that was done, Luke went on his way back home.

**(sigh) OK, that library honestly felt like filler and had to be the most boring part of the story.**

_Travis_

Last time, Travis had just ascended to the tenth floor of the 'Tower of a Frozen Era' dungeon. This floor actually looked a bit different from the past floors. The first thing that Travis noticed when he got this far was that he was standing upon a giant clock. Its hands look like giant icicles and the numbers that the icicles point to light up faintly. The large had was pointed toward the six, while the smaller hand had just passed the twelve.

Travis obviously had no clue what he was looking at, "Uhh... Do I need to know what time it is?"

Travis raised his eyebrow, wondering why he's wasting his time with this. Travis examined his current surroundings. He was, of course, standing upon an enormous ticking clock, as opposed to the cracked, slippery tiles from the previous floors. There were four chandeliers hovering above him, with **no ceiling** to hold them. There weren't any walls either, and the view beyond this room looked almost like a void.

The most significant feature that Travis noticed about this floor is that there were no enemies in sight at all, "Is this a break room?"

Travis breathed in heavily, and felt like he was able to relax after the mere fluke that allowed him access to this floor. Surrounding the clock floor that Travis was standing on were four floating doors. Each door was placed adjacent to the 12, 3, 6, and 9 of the clock. The door closest to the 3 had a narrow, floating platform leading to it from the clock. The other doors do not have this platform, and appear to be out of reach.

Travis's confusion quickly went to annoyance, "Ok! Is this place **trying** to screw with me?"

_"Yes, and there is good reason for it..."_

"Huh?"

It was that female voice from earlier, that warned Travis not to continue.

Travis didn't know who (or **what**) he was talking to, but at this point, he disposition remained at 'annoyed', "There **is** something trying to screw with me?!"

_"Please understand. This place holds terrible power, and I do my best to keep it away from living hands."_

Travis didn't have a clue what this... **thing**, whatever it was, was talking about. He just wanted to find a white stone, and get paid for it.

_"I beg you once more to leave this place. The souls here are at unrest, and your continued presence causes them anguish!"_

Travis muttered quietly, "They started it..."

A white flash of light appeared right behind Travis, which glared in his eyes.

_"This light will lead you back to the world of the living safely. I give you one more chance to leave peacefully. I don't want you to lose your life, but you've already come too far."_

Travis had a mildly shocked expression, "Too far?"

_"Yes, my sentinel was defending this place for a reason. Now please, go into the light... Live your life..."_

And now, Travis's 'shock level' went from mild to full, "Wait... **YOUR SENTINEL!** You mean the reason I almost got crushed to death and tried to climb in a chest was 'cause of you?!"

Travis went from confusion to annoyance to shocked to furious, all in about a couple of minutes, which Travis himself noticed, "God, are these ghosts giving me mood swings?!"

Regardless, something is now **definitely** trying to screw with Travis, which actually made him even **more** compelled to reach the end of this dungeon. Travis ignored the light next to him and walked toward the door that was nearby the 3 on the giant clock. It was the only one he could enter anyways.

**Ok, I'm not gonna lie... I procrastinated... A LOT! But, finally, I have finished this chapter! Honestly, I started to get bored while continuing with this, but don't get the wrong idea, I'm not handing this story to anyone else!**


	19. Travis in Wonderland

_Professor Layton_

Luke had just left the library with the books in hand, and started riding his bike back home. It was 6:15 PM and the sky had turned a vivid pink. About a few minutes later, some familiar faces noticed Luke. It was his three friends that he introduced to Professor Layton back in the Queens Museum of Art.

Tyler had the same attitude which he had earlier, which was one of a child-like interest, "Hey, Luke! I thought you were to the hospital!"

Rebecca had the same overenthusiastic tone of voice that she always did, "Yea, like, how is the professor's daughter? We like, saw it on the news! She got scratches and burns on her face! That's like, **so... EWWWW!**"

Dudley had a very deep, "Your girlfriend got **whacked**."

Luke growled angrily, "She's **NOT** my girlfriend! And she's not... whacked! She's in the hospital, and she'll make a recovery!"

Tyler tried to help, "Easy, dude, easy... You're still upset, right?

Luke felt miserable even talking about it, "It's true... Something attacked Flora this afternoon... It was horrible!"

Tyler had a somewhat "macho" tone of voice, "Who could do that to such a cute girl?"

Luke didn't even know how to respond. He was sure that his friends wouldn't believe him, "Do you swear that you won't think I'm crazy when I tell you?"

Luke took a deep breath, not even waiting for their answer, "Professah Layton, Flora, and I were investigating the endless snowfall around that clock tower." Luke made sure not to mention Travis. The truth was already quirky enough without a talking panda bear-slash-supernatural hunter-slash-impertinent attitude person in it. "We found this bizarre dimension inside the tower..."

Luke's friends already had disbelieving looks on their faces.

"And... Flora was brutally attacked... by a ghost!"

Tyler answered first, "A ghost?"

"Yes... Yes, a scary, malicious spirit!"

Rebecca was the first to make a sarcastic remark, "Did the biiiig, baaad ghost go all... OOOOOOOOH? Hehehehe..."

Tyler seemed a bit more mature, "Easy, Becca! Luke's going through something very traumatic right now. Luke, I'm not sure what you saw, but the best thing to do is to just take your mind off it now. The police are already investigating, and you had a rough day."

Luke sighed in disgust. He knew they wouldn't believe him, and he needed to get back to the professor with the books.

Before Luke's friends left, Dudley had one more low pitch, monotone reply, "You got **PTSD**."

Luke's mouth dropped at that last sentence, and quickly turned into another sigh. He knew his friends wouldn't understand. How could they? They weren't there to see it... Snowfall around a clock tower was one thing, but being attacked by the spirits of the dead? He didn't want to waste any more time thinking about it. It was going to get dark soon, and was finally home.

Professor Layton was the first to notice Luke coming through the door, "Welcome back, Luke. How was your trip to the library?"

Luke gave an enthusiastic grin, "Professah! I borrowed some books from the library that could help with our research!"

The professor was puzzled, "Books?"

Luke nodded, "These are records of real people that have experienced paranormal activity in their lives."

Luke set the books down on the table next to the Necronomicon and plopped himself on the couch next to the professor.

The professor examined the cover of one of the books and appeared to think to himself for a moment. After that same moment (that was fast), "I suppose some insight from outside sources may prove helpful. Tell me, Luke... Do you remember the rule for comparing multiple sources when researching the same subject?"

"Yes, Professah! We must look for calligraphy within several of these books that are similar to each other. If most of these books come to the same conclusions, they are more likely to be the truth."

"Very good, my boy."

When researching any subject, it is a common practice to compare multiple sources of information together to discover facts. The duo will likely spend the next couple of days doing research on these ghosts.

_Travis_

It's weird what the idea of someone keeping secrets can do to some people... Right now, someone (**or something**) is trying to keep Travis from ascending the dungeon. Travis doesn't even have any real proof that the White Atlamillia is at the top of the tower at all. In fact, part of Travis's motivation for ascending the tower is **because** something is trying to stop him.

Do you know how every good endeavor is a challenging one? Part of the reason that video games exist is because they challenge and entertain the player. This dungeon, the 'Tower of a Frozen Era' is no exception. Nothing directly forced Travis to enter, and nothing directly told Travis that the White Atlamillia was there in the first place. Logically, there should be no reason for him to go there.

Do you want to know why he would know to go there in the first place? It's because that's what the next level is. In most video games, if you don't know what to do, you try and complete whatever levels or quests are available to you and hope that some new part of the plot becomes available later.

Travis had just entered the door to the eleventh floor, which was next to the 3 on the giant clock that he was standing on earlier. The background was completely different from the last ten floors. The ground was composed of grass and flowers. There were no walls or ceilings, but trees, wind, and sunshine. This floor, as a whole, looked like a very pleasant place.

Travis gazed on in confusion, "This place some kind of ghost paradise?"

If one were to keep themselves silent, they could almost hear birds chirping in the background. Travis reminded himself that this **is** still a dungeon level, and it **is** still dangerous. The first thing Travis notices upon exploring this floor were what looked like flowers, with needles sticking out of their centers, and actually turning to face Travis.

"Flowers? I'm gonna get threatened... by flowers?"

_PDA Analysis_

Name: Venus Mantrap  
Genus: Plant  
Height: 3' 5"  
Weight: 5 lbs.  
Element: None

These plants are actually carnivorous creatures that are rooted to the ground. Their status as plant monsters means that they have all of the features of normal plants. They are heavily by weather conditions and cannot leave the place which they are rooted at. These creatures can grow in strength by consuming prey that wander too closely to them.

Travis raised an eyebrow and just went with it, "Man-eating flowers... Whatever..."

Travis casually walked toward these 'mantraps' and carefully distanced himself about 3 1/2 feet from one of them. Obviously, these flowers tried to lunge toward Travis to attack, but according to the PDA, it was an inch too short to actually touch Travis. At that moment, Travis unceremoniously severed the mantrap's stem, killing it immediately.

"Well, that was boring..."

Travis killed the other mantrap in the same manner, "There's more to this, right?"

No gate key dropped from either enemy, so there's more exploring to do. Travis's next place to check out was what looked like a steep hill. Climbing it wasn't hard, but what was at the top of that hill was even weirder.

There were three...

"Top hats?"

There were several top hats just laying in the grass for some reason. These hats looked very identical to the one that the professor wears. I shouldn't need to describe it any further.

Travis casually walked to the hats to examine them. They looked normal at first glance, until one of them actually leaped off of the ground and toward Travis's head!

Instinctively, Travis severed the hat through its center with a thrust. He went to scan the other hats with his PDA.

"And the clever names of these enemies are..."

Name: Top Hat

"Uhh... okay?"

Genus: Demon  
Height: 0' 8"  
Weight: 1 lbs.  
Element: None

These dastardly demons are masters of brainwashing their victims. They do so by latching themselves upon their victims head, and applying pressure to the victim's brain. Victims of a top hat's brainwashing technique have been reported to have develop much smaller eyes, a gentlemanly personality, and a love of puzzles. The reason that these creatures bring these traits to their victims is believed to be due to brain damage from prolonged pressure.

"What is this... Travis in Wonderland?!"

Travis just quickly slaughtered the other two defenseless top hats by cutting them in half. One of them dropped the gate key, which gave Travis access to the next floor.

"I'd better tear up the professor's top hat after I'm done here..."

The exit to this floor looked like a giant dark brown tree with a door engraved in it.

**Yes, I procrastinated again. It's getting harder to think of original ideas for this story, so I take my mind off of it until I think of something interesting by accident. Procrastination makes perfect!**


	20. Seeking Knowledge

_Professor Layton_

It's been almost a couple of hours since we've left Professor Layton and his apprentice. The sun had completely set across the horizon and it was now dark out. It was 8:08 PM, and the duo had spent those hours researching information on the spirits of the dead.

Professor Layton needed Luke assistance once more, "Luke, would you be willing to recite what we've researched so far? I would like to try and piece this puzzle together..."

Luke grabbed the neatly organized pieces of paper next to him and read aloud, "According to the five books we have researched so far, which are entitled 'Necronomicon', 'True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena', 'Life After Death: A Documentary', 'Beyond the Physical Realm', and 'Outside the Naked Eye', it can be believed that the following information should be given careful consideration.

The vitality of living people and the energy of spirits are one and the same. When a person dies, their remaining energy sheds its body and transmigrates into a incorporeal form. These beings are known as 'spirits'.

Because spirits no longer have physical bodies, it is much more difficult to interact with the world around them. Spirits must focus their energy, which is the same vitality they had in life, to interact with the world around them.

Spiritual energy is made up of two things: emotions and strength of will. Those with intense emotion and a strong will are considered to have high spiritual energy. Those with little or no emotion and a weak will are considered to have low spiritual energy.

Spirits with lower energy can be easily manipulated by their surroundings and the final emotions they experienced before death. Spirits with higher energy are actually capable of controlling their surroundings, including people and spirits with lower energy.

That's all the information we've recorded so far, Professah."

Professor Layton grabbed his briefcase and opened it. He pulled out a notebook and read aloud what facts he had recorded, "According to what we have experienced and seen with our own eyes, these are the mysteries that we must unravel.

There is a clock tower that is being embedded by permanent snowfall. The newspaper clipping that you have mailed to me several days ago, before my journey to America explains the details. It explains that the surrounding snowfall had occurred for over eight years now."

Luke nodded, "That's right! I hadn't noticed it for months when I first moved here because of all of the sights to explore!"

The professor continued, "I see... Now then,

When we have investigated the clock tower in person, we had experienced a number of unexplainable phenomena. Obviously, we've witnessed and felt the snowy climate within and just outside the clock tower. An employee at the clock tower, named Roger, had told us that the snowfall had started because of a rainbow-colored light.

We've heard beautiful music from within the clock tower that sounded much like a piano. This music had a very soothing effect on all that hear it. According to that same employee from earlier, nobody know what the cause of this music is, due to the lack of speakers. However, it is known that the music is projected every hour, on the hour.

An elderly lady by the name of Agnes had told us of a 'Snow Angel' that is said to have blessed the clock tower.

We've met an intelligent, yet unmannerly animal after we've left the clock tower for the first time. A talking panda bear named Travis, that claimed to be seeking a 'White Atlamillia' stone for a job. He also referred to himself as a 'Supernatural Hunter', and claimed to make his living by seeking out and destroying demons and the spirits of the dead. He seemed to have extensive knowledge of the supernatural, and even had equipment tailor-made for his profession.

Luke interrupted again, "Ugh! I remember him... He's got such a mouth on him, that one!"

"Now, Luke... A gentleman wouldn't talk behind the backs of o... Oh, that's not very important now, is it...

According to Travis, the one who employed him to find this 'White Atlamillia' was a man named 'Silver Queens', who is the owner and proprietor of the Queens Museum of Art. He claims to wish to add this stone to his collection at his museum.

Upon further exploration of the clock tower, we've discovered a frightening room hidden on the top floor that appeared to be the site of an ghastly ritual of some sort. Travis immediately suggested that necromancy was involved. We had also found a book of interest called a 'Necronomicon' within that room. According to Travis, this book was used to summon ghosts. I currently am in possession of the book, which we have used in our research.

After discovery of the book, Travis immediately suggested that there was something called a 'spiritual portal' which led into a different dimension. We had found something of that description within the basement of the clock tower when Travis activated it with one of his pieces of equipment. It was really quite convenient... TOO convenient... I believe that Travis knows more about all of this than he lets on to us.

Within this 'portal' appears to possess another dimension not entirely unlike our own. However, this dimension appeared to be inhabited by the restless spirits of the dead. One of these spirits had actually attacked us! It had horribly mutilated Flora's face to the point of needing emergency medical care! Luke and I had tried to protect her, but our bodies went right through this spirit, as if it did not even exist! I cannot explain this for the life of me!

On the other hand, Travis had pieces of equipment that he referred to as 'Spectral Blades', which he used to destroy these spirits that were attacking us. He had then parted ways with us to ascend the otherworldly tower in search of this 'White Atlamillia'.

And, those are the facts that we have uncovered so far... At this point, any conclusions either of us would come up with would only be speculation..."

Luke sighed, "All we ended up with are more questions..."

"Yes, my boy. For the time being, there is something other than spiritual energy that we should learn about..."

"Well, what is it, Professah?"

The professor muttered aloud, as if to try and solve a puzzle, "The snow angel..."

"The snow angel?"

"Yes... Even Travis was uneducated on the subject."

"But where do we find out about this 'Snow Angel'? The library is closed now."

"I haven't the faintest idea, Luke. Though, I believe the best thing to do would be to investigate the tower again. If there is truly any shady business, as I believe there to be, it would certainly not occur in broad daylight."

Luke understood, "So we'll investigate the clock tower at night?"

The professor nodded.

_Travis - 15th Floor_

Last chapter, Travis had just left the eleventh floor of the dungeon. Since the next three are basically the same, I will skip ahead to the fifteenth floor.

The floor was very similar to the natural setting of the previous floors, except that it was raining lightly.

"Great... Now my fur's gonna get soaked..."

The enemy types remained the same, but there was still a notable change. The first thing that Travis noticed on this floor were that the Venus Mantraps and Top Hats were fighting each other.

"Well, that's convenient, I guess... All I need to do is loot the gate key off of the loser..."

One of the carnivorous plants were tearing up the living top hat with its 'teeth', pulling it apart in an almost gory fashion. Well, if living fabric **could** possibly be gory, at least. When the plant consumed the hat, it leveled up.

_PDA Analysis_

Name: Super Venus Mantrap  
Genus: Plant  
Height: 4' 4"  
Weight: 8 lbs.  
Element: None

This is an upgraded Venus Mantrap that had gained strength and leveled up by consuming prey. It is basically a superior Venus Mantrap.

"Well, that was short and simple..."

Travis readied his blades, but before he could close in, a Top Hat jumped from behind the plant and latched itself onto its bulb. A slight crackling sound was heard from the plant, while the top hat was beginning to brainwash its photosynthetic victim.

_PDA Analysis_

Name: Super Venus Gentlemantrap  
Genus: Plant  
Height: 5'2"  
Weight: 9 lbs.  
Element: None

This is a Super Venus Mantrap that is currently a victim of a Top Hat's brainwashing technique. Strangely, this indoctrination actually makes the plant **less** dangerous and much more intellectual.

"Well... this is new..."

The top-hatted plant turned to Travis's direction. There was still fighting between the plants and hat demons all around Travis, but this indoctrinated plant actually brings a sense of calm, much like the eye of a vicious storm.

Thanks to the plant improved intelligence, it was capable of basic speech, "If you want my gate key, solve my puzzle!"

Travis's mouth dropped slightly, "Uhhh... **what?**"

The plant repeated itself, "If you want my gate key, solve my puzzle!"

"What could some puzzle possibly mean to you?!"

The plant repeated itself again, "If you want my gate key, solve my puzzle!"

Travis just gave up at this point, "Alright... What's this **puzzle**?"

"A rooster lays an egg at the very top of a slanted roof. Which side is the egg going to roll off on?"

Travis gave an indifferent, "The slanted side?"

The plant paused for a moment before shouting a very loud, **"INCORRECT!"**

This outburst only annoyed Travis, "Look, I just want the gate key and..."

The plant interrupted Travis, "Roosters are male and do not lay eggs!"

"Look, I don't care about..."

The plant interrupted Travis again, "Here! Try another puzzle!"

Travis began to approach this plant in a hostile manner, drawing his blades.

The oblivious plant continued to tell this next puzzle, "I have twelve matchsticks..."

By then, Travis was in melee range of this plant and violently slashed its stem horizontally, **"SHUT UP!"**

The severed plant fell lifelessly on the ground, while the top hat detached itself from the dead plant. Before it could react, Travis stabbed this hat brutally. The gate key dropped from this hat.

Travis walked to the exit to the next floor, unfazed by the remaining plants and hats fighting one another.

**I'm going to get Miracle Mask soon! Because of this, I might end up procrastinating again... Feel free to review!**


	21. Angels, Fanatics, and Soldiers

_Professor Layton_

It was 8:45 PM, and Professor Layton and Luke had just left the Triton home (Room 108) to investigate the snow tower at night. I won't bother explaining the drive there, since it was rather uneventful, so I'll just skip ahead to after they arrived. Like always, there was snowfall surrounding the clock tower. It was even colder at night without the sunlight shining down upon the populace.

Professor Layton and Luke were wearing thick, heavy coats that corresponded to the usual colors that they wear to keep warm. The professor had a long, bushy brown coat with long sleeves and his signature top hat. Luke had a big, round blue coat that made him look like a blue pillow. He was also wearing a blue winter cap with flaps covering the ears.

The professor looked upon the mysterious clock tower with the stars reflected upon the clock on top of the tower and marveled, "Beautiful..."

Luke agreed, "Oooohhhhh..."

The tower was closing at 10:00, and it took about an hour to get to the snow tower from home, so the duo only had about fifteen minutes to investigate the interior. It would have taken longer, like last time, but there wasn't as much traffic at night. The professor presented his visitor's card to the employee, and gained access for him and Luke.

There were no tourists in plain sight at this time of night, so the liveliness that the duo had witnessed was nonexistent. It was actually quite depressing amidst the silence. From within the tower, the duo could see the clocks high above them glittered with snow and starlight. These features blended together and seemed to form a dazzling rainbow of colors. For some reason, the professor had the sudden urge to grip his top hat with his hand, as if he was in a trance.

Meanwhile, Luke observed his surroundings, and looked for anything suspicious. A man wearing a mask, diabolical gloating, anything suggesting some kind of villainy... But, he didn't find or hear anything of the sort.

Though, there was something of interest that Luke had heard, "That sounds like... chanting."

It was barely audible, but Luke could swear that he is hearing people chanting past the door across the entrance. Luke put his ear to the door to try and understand what these people, whoever they are, are saying.

"Seraph of ice, bringer of white,  
our prayers to you we recite,  
clockwork gaze upon your gesture,  
grant your blessings to our future...

Seraph of ice, bringer of white,  
our prayers to you we recite,  
clockwork gaze upon your gesture,  
grant your blessings to our future..."

"Seraph of ice? I wonder..."

Luke quickly jotted down these words in his notepad. Even he thought this information might be that helpful, but the fact that there are people chanting these words in the middle of the night might mean something. After Luke had finished, he went back to the professor. He had been staring at the clocks in that strange way for a couple of minutes now.

"Professah? What are you looking at?"

"Oh... Uh, i-it's nothing... Just thinking to myself for a moment there..."

Luke shrugged his arms, "There are people behind that door, Professah. They were chanting these words over and over again."

Luke handed his notes to the professor, who read them over, "Some sort of poem or prayer, perhaps? And you heard these words being said behind that door?"

"Yes, Professah."

At that moment, that same door had just been opened, and the people chanting that strange poem were heading the duo's direction. These people had varying ages and features, but they all wore sparkling, blue robes and had golden clocks in their possession.

One of these robed figures had an elderly appearance and spoke to the duo while the rest remained silent, "We have been expecting you. The ceremony may now begin!"

The other robed kneeled downward and held their clocks high above their heads.

The professor didn't understand any of this, "I beg your pardon."

The robed elder lashed out all of a sudden, "**SIIIIIILENCE!** All acolytes are bound to the oath of the frozen voice!"

"Acolytes? Goodness, no. You have us all wrong. We are..."

This robed elder interrupted again, "**HERETICS!** Yes... **YES!** **Don't**... try to hide it... Your squinting eyes say it all! Our patroness sees **aaaaalllll!**"

Luke almost yelled, "That's not fair! You have no right to treat us like that!"

The professor remained calm, "My 'squinting eyes' proves nothing suspicious, I assure you. I was simply born with very small eyes. There is nothing wrong with that. We are here to solve the mystery involving the snowfall that has covered this clock tower for years."

Now this 'Father Frost' started getting a mocking tone, "Mystery? This snow is our blessing! It is proof of our guardian angel's blessing!"

"You're referring to the 'snow angel', correct?"

Father Frost continued, "Our patron goes by many names, such as 'Seraph of Ice' or, as you have stated, 'Snow Angel'. But, I say nay... **NAY!** For only a **GODDESS** could create such miracles of wonder and beauty!"

The rest of these fanatics started chanting that same poem again,

"Seraph of ice, bringer of white,  
our prayers to you we recite,  
clockwork gaze upon your gesture,  
grant your blessings to our future..."

The professor had something else to ask, "Clockwork gaze... I'm assuming this refers to the clock tower."

"Nay! This precept refers to our patron's affinity with the very fabric of time around us! Devotees under the eyes of our snow patroness have been blessed with the very miracle of youth! With each passing hour, the music of life flows through these halls! Our very bodies are healthier and stronger for our continued devotion!"

Now the professor was intrigued, "The miracle of youth? Hmm..."

This reminded the professor of the game that Luke and he played several years ago, involving eternal life and the Ambrosia. Of course, the grand prize turned out to be fraudulent in the end, and the professor suspected no less involving this 'Snow Angel'.

Luke chimed in, "You mean to tell us that you've actually become younger because of a **blessing**?"

This response angered Father Frost immensely, "Never... I repeat, **NEVER** question the miracles of our patron! Sacrilege is not tolerated within the abode of our mother of snow!"

Luke's face featured a combination of fear and pity, "I... apologize."

The professor had only one more thing to ask this **really** stubborn man, "Would you mind telling us where we may seek more information on your patroness? I do not see Roger or any employees at the information booth."

"Only those who prove themselves worthy of our patroness may know her inner secrets."

"Exactly how does one 'prove themselves'?

"Who can say? Our patroness has her own ways of testing her subj..."

At that moment, the clock had struck at 10 PM. And, like every other hour, that same soothing music echoed throughout the tower, without any speakers, or microphones, or anything...

All of the devotees, along with Father Frost, had gotten on their knees, and into a meditation pose.

The professor was baffled, "Father Frost?"

He didn't respond. All of the devotees were completely silent as the music played through the tower. The professor raised an eyebrow in confusion.

**After careful consideration, I have decided to describe Travis's side-story on only one more floor until the point where he truly becomes relevant to this fic. Having two different stories for several chapters had made this fic stretch itself too thin.**

_Travis - Floor 19_

"One more floor? Are you serious!? I haven't even finished half way through yet! Oh, whatever... But, promise me you'll come back to me when I hit the boss room!"

**Fine...**

This floor was different from the previous floors, due to the structures all around Travis. They were made of large slabs of neatly placed stones, and looked like a medieval castle. This floor still had the aspects of nature within it, such as sunlight and grass. They weren't the dominant feature in this floor though. Travis entered his first building, which introduces the newest enemy type.

There were several mechanical-looking humanoid figures patrolling within this building. They looked like robots that were made of bronze and had a steampunk appearance to them, with pipes sticking out of them to release smoke and gauges on their chests. There were several more distinct features as well. They all had giant clock faces where their uh... "faces" would be (yea, let's go with that). They also had head sized tubes of metal attached to the tops of their heads, which looked similarly to a top hat. Finally, these mechanical constructs looked like they were carrying metal pipes in their right hands.

"Let's see what the PDA has to say..."

_PDA Analysis_

Name: Clockwork Soldier  
Genus: Wind-Up  
Height: 6' 7"  
Weight: 127 lbs.  
Element: Lightning

These constructs have traces of supernatural power within their circuits. They are possibly servants of a powerful supernatural entity. Their abilities in combat are not readily apparent from scanning alone.

Travis looked at his PDA, and lightly slapped his forehead, "**Reeeeal** informative... Well, at least I know their element."

Travis switched his blades to the 'Wind' element, by twisting the knobs toward the 'Cloud' image and charged toward these soldiers. Travis prepared to slash vertically downward, toward the soldier's face (clock face). However, this soldier quickly parried with its pipe, which was something that caught Travis off guard. This error left Travis open for a counterattack, which was an opportunity that the Clockwork Soldier didn't hesitate to seize. It swung its metal pipe directly across Travis's right hand, which caused Travis to drop one of his blades! Taking another opportunity, this metal soldier made an acrobatic flip behind Travis and caught the Spectral Blade in mid-air!

"**That **came out of nowhere!" Travis wasn't used to such an advanced enemy type at this point. Strangely enough, the same soldier that disarmed Travis had sheathed his blade within its 'pocket' and continued to use its metal pipe instead. It extended its right hand and put its left hand behind its back, opting to fight like a fencer.

Travis prepared another attack, this time from below its arm. This attack was also parried. Travis continued to attack from varying angles, hoping to catch this soldier off guard, but each and every attack was blocked in textbook perfection.

At this time, Travis noticed the other Clockwork Soldiers standing idly, while he was dealing with the one soldier. Such an honorable way of fighting was very rare, but Travis didn't question it. If those other ones were as good as this one, Travis wouldn't last a minute.

Travis tried a different tactic this time. He tried to aim toward the legs, where a fencer couldn't block without bending over downward. That didn't work either... The soldier simply flipped over and behind Travis when he attempted it, and then seized the opportunity to attack Travis's backside, knocking him face down.

The soldier backed into a defensive position with its pipe held across its chest after Travis was knocked down. Yet another honorable tactic, even though it could have just finished Travis right then and there.

"It's official... I **hate** these things! Even though they're fair, which is more than I can say about most things I hate... I'm conflicted." Travis tried a different strategy. This time, **he** would play defensive, and wait for the soldier to attack. He gripped his remaining blade with both hands, looking like he would use it to parry an attack, like the Clockwork Soldier did.

The soldier tried to circumvent this by attacking with a thrusting motion, toward Travis's upper-left shoulder. That's when Travis shown this soldier it's flaw... A lead pipe...

Travis's defensive stance with his blade was fake. Instead, he just grabbed the lead pipe mid-swing with his left hand, and then sliced off the soldier's arm with his right hand. He couldn't have done this against a real fencing sword. Without hesitation, he then severed this Clockwork Soldier in half with a horizontal motion, destroying one of them, finally.

The next one walked toward Travis, using the exact stance and weapon that the first one did. Travis salvaged his other blade from the scrap metal that used to be a Clockwork Soldier. The second soldier swung at Travis with a stabbing motion, like the first one, which Travis was already used to. Travis caught the pipe again, and dismembered the soldier like the last one.

"They fight like they're fencing, but I don't have to play by those rules... So easy to exploit."

The last one came at Travis and attacked with a horizontal motion this time, which Travis just blocked.

"Ok, wait for them to stab, **then** attack..."

This metal soldier eventually did thrust, which allowed Travis to abuse his one-hit kill. There wasn't a gate key drop, so he had to try the other building. Within that building, there was another Clockwork Soldier, but this one wasn't carrying a lead pipe. From Travis's point of view, it looked like it was carrying some kind of gun that looked like a slot machine!

This soldier underneath a partly broken pillar and open fire at Travis, who quickly ducked behind another pillar. This is where it gets really weird, because the gun didn't fire any kind of bullet that he had ever seen. Travis picked up one of the pieces of ammunition that was close to him on the ground and examined it. It looked like a gold coin, with a top hat logo and an 'L' in the center.

"Coins as ammunition? Do I applaud them for their resourcefulness, or hold contempt for their obviously 'low budget' choice of weapons."

Now, Travis didn't want to take too much of a risk, since a coin flying fast enough could still pierce flesh and bone, or in his case, fur and bone. Travis looked around for anything large enough to protect him, but light enough to carry, since coins couldn't pierce through stones, no matter the velocity.

While Travis was looking, he heard a metallic 'clang' from behind him. It looked like a clock was thrown behind Travis, and it was making a ticking sound. Upon closer inspection, Travis noticed that the clock was counting downward. It was about three seconds until it hit zero.

Travis's expression was priceless here, "Grenade!"

He dove out of his cover and behind another pillar, and ended up taking some coins in his scaled clothes, while the Clockwork Grenade exploded behind him. Again, the soldier through another grenade at Travis's location. Instead of fleeing, Travis decided to grab this grenade and throw it back where it came from. This forced the soldier to flee, since it didn't have enough time to throw it again before it exploded.

To flee, however, it needed to drop its gun, since it was too heavy to run with. Even though the soldier escaped the blast, it was now unarmed, and easy picking for Travis, since he isn't nearly as honorable as these mechanical soldiers are.

Without hesitation, Travis swung horizontally across the robot's head and decapitated it. This enemy had the gate key, which, amusingly, looked like a giant puzzle piece.

The door that the key fit in looked like a giant puzzle set, but with a piece missing.

"Well, this is obvious..."

Behind Travis were several more Clockwork Soldiers, but Travis already had the key. Instead, Travis just bolted toward the exit, and opened it.

"Screw this, they humiliated me enough..."

**Ok, that's the last Travis side-story that will be put in this fic until the point that he coincides with Layton again. Even with my large bold 'author messages', this is the longest chapter yet! Feel free to review!**


	22. Belief Or Deceit?

Professor Layton and Luke continued looking in confusion at Father Frost, as well as the other devotees. As soon as the music started echoing through the tower, all of the devotees in the vicinity just stopped what they were doing, got on their knees, closed their eyes, put their hands on their knees, and just stayed silent and still.

Professor Layton tried to get an answer, "Father Frost? Is there something I can assist you with?"

Father Frost didn't respond.

Luke wondered what to do next, "What do we do now, Professah?"

The professor put his hand across his chin, trying to think of something.

While he was, the professor a shadow came from behind Luke, which blended with the natural darkness of night impeccably. Its footsteps were completely inaudible, and the only thing that could be seen amidst the darkness were its piercing, silver eyes and familiar voice, "An amusing character, our spiritual Father, don't you agree?"

Luke was caught complete unaware of this, "YAAAAAAAH!" In that brief moment, Luke's hair spiked upward in a comical fashion, and his winter cap actually spun out of his head, did a 360° flip in midair, and fell back on Luke's head!

The professor, on the other hand, kept his composure, "Mr. Queens? It's a pleasure as always, but why are you here?"

Luke quickly recomposed himself and turned around, "Wha?" When he did, he saw the same silver eyes staring at him again, "YAAAAAAAH!"

Silver Queens stared nonchalantly at Luke, "Goodness, it's quite late... You're not in bed, young man? Your parents must be worried sick about you..."

The professor asked again, "Mr. Queens, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Silver turned to the professor and smiled politely, "The same reason that you're here, of course... I am interested in the mystery of this tower. And please, call me Silver. I'm not too fond of formalities."

"My apologies, Silver. Tell me, how did you know that this tower is where our puzzle lies?"

"I simply put facts together. I came here tonight, in my great-grandfather final accomplishment, as I always do, and I saw you two looking around here. And, I know that your daughter and companion was attacked here this afternoon, and you want to put those facts together as well. There's no other reason you would be here so late at night."

Silver pointed at the still-meditating Father Frost, "That is... assuming you're not some kind of overly-religious zealot."

The professor pondered this explanation for a bit, then answered, "I suppose there is logic in that, but if it's not too much to ask, what exactly do you mean by 'your great-grandfather's final accomplishment'? You told me that he traveled the world and collected artifacts for his museum."

Silver nodded, "He did. And when he finished with that accomplishment, he began working on the construction of this clock tower, over one hundred years ago. He was rather ambitious in his lifetime."

Silver pulled out an old black-and-white photograph from his pocket, and showed it to the professor, "Look at this. This was taken during the grand opening of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower back in 1909."

Silver pointed at one of the men who was responsible for the construction of the tower in the photograph. He had an exact resemblance to Silver, "This was my great-grandfather, Asimeous Queens, in his prime."

The professor stared at that man in the picture, "Your resemblance to your great-grandfather is uncanny, Mr. Queens."

Silver smiled, "Seeing as I am the sole remaining heir to my great-grandfather's legacy, I feel a sense of responsibility toward everything he worked for. Do you understand?"

The professor couldn't find any fault to Silver's logic, "I suppose..."

Then, he turned over to face the devotees that were speaking with him earlier, "Silver, have you gained any insight on these... advocates?"

"I believe that these zealots are part of a religious order called the 'Wings of Snow'. This order worships a 'Snow Angel' that is supposedly the cause of the snowfall here in this clock tower. They see this 'Snow Angel' as a deity of sorts, and name her responsible for a number of miracles aside from the snowfall, such as the beautiful music we hear around us, and even restoring the very youth of her followers! In fact, every night, these zealots come to this tower and pay tribute to her."

The professor had wondered something, "Her?"

Silver was quick to answer, "Oh... Just a guess on my part, but truthfully, I don't quite believe their tale to begin with. For starters, new devotees often have to offer an 'oath wage' before they may join their order."

"Silver, what do you mean by 'oath wage' exactly?"

"To put it bluntly, about five hundred dollars..."

Professor Layton, Luke, and Silver all simultaneously drooped their faces in disgust. If there was a good time for a record scratching sound, it would be now...

Luke was the first to ask, "So, you believe that all of this is some sort of scam?"

Silver nodded, "It's possible, and the most likely explanation."

Silver pointed his finger upward, "History has taught us that there have always been many who cheated others for their own...",

Then, he curled his hand into a fist, "Personal gain. As far as I know, these blessings include endless snowfall, wandering spirits, and music. Although, I don't have any hard evidence, I believe that these 'blessings' are... fraudulent."

The professor contemplated out loud, "You don't believe them, Silver?"

"A museum curator knows that everything tells a story... And there are many stories that speak of tales of greed and deceit. The Nigerian Scam is my personal favorite of the bunch..."

The professor nodded, "This is one theory to consider, but how would a cult go about performing these blessings, and at the same time, without arousing suspicion from the public eye?"

"Sadly, I haven't figured that out. I don't devote that much time to this mystery, since I run a museum during the day."

"Of course. I understand, Silver."

Silver turned to walk out the entrance, while the professor was still speaking, "Where are you going?"

With the same strange smile on Silver's face, he answered, "I apologize for not being able to provide more insight... There isn't much else I am capable of at this time, so I'm going home now..."

Luke was starting to get concerned, "Home? You just appeared behind me in the dark, talked to us, and now you're going home..?"

"Yes, good night..."

Before Silver left, the professor wanted to ask one more thing, "Would you mind telling us about..."

Silver had already shut the door, with a confused professor and his apprentice still standing there, "Travis?"

Luke let out a rather annoyed, "Professah. That man's **brain** is a puzzle."

The professor pondered that as well, "Something **is** rather off about this man, Luke. However, there isn't much that can be done at this time."

"Professah? What's off about him?"

"Silver mentioned that there were ghosts as one of the blessings in this tower."

Luke nodded, "Yes, that's right. So..."

At that point, the music within the tower stopped playing. Of course, that meant the devotees, which you've probably forgotten about by now are...

"You have some **NERVE** to make that accusation of our order!"

...staring at the duo.

Though unnerved, the professor stepped forward, "Please do not act irrational. We simply..."

Father Frost's overly-impatient voice overpowered the professor's, "Leave our abode, heretics! We've heard your conversation!"

Luke chimed in, "Hey, calm down!"

The other devotees shouted, "Heretics! Heretics!"

"**OOOOOUUUUUTTTTT!**"

Father Frost's voice was ear-splitting enough to cause a light tremor underground. Literally...

Giving up, the professor held Luke back, "Come, Luke. There isn't much else that can be done here. We may continue our investigation tomorrow. I have a hunch about where our next clue will lie."

Luke sighed and the duo returned to their car to drive home. It's been a very long day anyway...

On their way to the car, the professor took one last stare at the sky above the clock tower, "How beautiful... It seems so familiar to me, but I can't understand why that is..."

**I finally finished this chapter! I had a lot of work involving Thanksgiving and college, so I wasn't typing often! By the way, the story isn't even close to over... Feel free to review!**


	23. Avoiding the Deus Ex Machina

It's finally morning again, and Luke had just awoken from his very long slumber. He plucked himself out of bed with his pillow still stuck to his head, which got peeled off by gravity much like a sticker gets peeled off by pulling on it. Because he was still groggy, he didn't notice, and he stretched his arms widely and let out a heavy yawn. It was almost 10:00 AM, and Luke overslept after yesterday's ordeal.

Luke climbed out of bed and walked to the living room, curling his hands to fists and wiping his eyes on the way. Professor Layton had been waiting in the living room for Luke to wake up for a couple of hours now, while doing some more research on yesterday's mystery and drinking his daily morning tea. He didn't seem to mind, since he was accustomed to Luke sleeping in since back during his days at Monte d'Or. Luke's parents had been sitting with the professor, while he was waiting.

The professor tipped his hat slightly, "Have you slept well, my boy?"

Luke yawned loudly in response.

The professor chuckled quietly, "I can take that as a sign of approval."

Luke stretched his arms to the point where there was a barely audible crack coming from him, "Good morning, Professah, Mum, and Dad."

Luke plopped himself on the couch next to the professor and noticed the newspapers lying scattered in front of the professor, with the 'Necronomicon' book next to him. It was clear that the professor was doing his researching for hours again.

"Professah? Did you find anything out from last night?"

The professor scratched his head slightly, "There were only pieces of information that confirmed things that we already knew beforehand, I'm afraid."

"What information?"

"Do you remember the second piece of information that we've recorded from our studies last night?"

Luke pulled out the same neatly organized pieces of paper from last night and recited the second piece of information that they have gathered, " Because spirits no longer have physical bodies, it is much more difficult to interact with the world around them. Spirits must focus their energy, which is the same vitality they had in life, to interact with the world around them. What about it, Professah?"

The professor pointed his finger upward, "Energy, to put it simply, my boy..."

Luke and his parents looked at the professor in confusion, while he continued, "Allow me to explain. Energy is an type of a substance that is part of the physiological structure of any form of matter. Everything in the world has mass, shape, and energy in one way or another. Now, according to the first piece of information that we've uncovered... Luke, if you would."

Luke read their first piece of information out loud, "The vitality of living people and the energy of spirits are one and the same. When a person dies, their remaining energy sheds its body and transmigrates into a incorporeal form. These beings are known as 'spirits'."

The professor nodded, "Correct. According to this first rule, a person's vitality and a spirit's energy are identical. Now, if you were to take something physical and full of electricity, such as a battery, and take out the electricity, you would be left with a piece of metal and a type of energy. I theorize that, if a being dies, it's spirit is that form of energy that leave the body."

Clark Triton interrupted for a moment, "Just one second, old bean... If electricity leaked out of an appliance, wouldn't it go out of control?"

The professor nodded again, "Yes, I had considered that, but according to the third piece of information, spirits could have something that other forms of energy do not. You have the floor, Luke."

Luke recited the third piece of information, "Spiritual energy is made up of two things: emotions and strength of will. Those with intense emotion and a strong will are considered to have high spiritual energy. Those with little or no emotion and a weak will are considered to have low spiritual energy."

The professor pointed his finger upward again, "Emotion... I believe that is the key difference. Energy alone has no will of its own, and can be controlled easily. However, if a person's emotion and memories travel with the spirit of a person as they die, then those same emotions and memories could act as conductors of some sort for energy, which could then be channeled to perform tasks even after the moment of a person's demise. The fourth and final piece of information that Luke and I have uncovered supports this claim."

Luke recited the last piece of information, "Spirits with lower energy can be easily manipulated by their surroundings and the final emotions they experienced before death. Spirits with higher energy are actually capable of controlling their surroundings, including people and spirits with lower energy."

The professor explained his final conclusion to his theory, "Let us say for a moment that the spirits that we have encountered were genuine... If that is the case, then I now have the reason that we were unable to defend Flora ourselves."

The professor's tone of voice grew sad, "The reason that she needs hospital care... was because they did not have physical forms, and as a result, could not be touched with our bare hands. No mere 'illusion' could be used in such a manner. However, at the same time, these 'ghosts' also channeled their energy and emotions as a means of inflicting harm. It could be possible that these 'ghosts' are in some sort of anguish to match the pain that they themselves felt in life..."

The professor stood out of his spot and his tone of voice grew louder, "I also conclude that the special tools from a **certain companion** traveling with us on that day could harness energy that directly opposes the energy that spirits could wield, and as a result, would have the ability to harm these spirits, despite their lack of physical forms."

Luke whispered in awe, "Travis's weapons..."

Brenda and Clark were both confused, "Travis? Who's Travis?"

That's right... The professor had forgotten for a moment that neither of Luke's parents even met Travis, or know that he's an intelligent-slash-bipedal-slash-somewhat uncivilized-slash-ghost hunting panda bear. There's really no logic to explain anything like that, but he tried, "Another companion of mine, that joined our little ensemble..."

Clark chuckled slightly, as if he knew the kind of people that follow the professor around, "Same class of companionship as usual, Hershel?"

The professor also chuckled, "Yes..."

The professor turned to Luke, "Luke, if we are to protect ourselves in our return to the snow tower, we will need to create tools similar to the one's that Travis had used."

And now the professor felt even sadder, "After what happened to Flora, I... after how we couldn't protect her... I don't want us to be that reckless again..."

Luke struck a pointing pose, which mimicked the professor's, "We need to make energy-harnessing machines!"

"Something of the sort, but that must come at a later time. Now, there is one more thing that I wish to investigate before preparing ourselves for the dimensional portal."

Luke was confused, "What is it, Professah?"

"I'm not entirely sure if it will help our investigation, but we need to gather as much information as possible while we can. Yesterday, Flora's injuries and the existence of the portal went on the news. I want to see the police's viewpoint on the matter. We may have need of their assistance later."

Luke jumped out of his spot on the couch with enthusiasm, "Then, let's go!"

Luke embraced his parents and told them, "So long!"

Luke's mother wanted to remind Luke, "Don't forget to eat breakfast before you go."

Before he went to do just that, Luke held out his arms in front of him and clamped them together. He swung his arms around as if he was holding a sword. Judging by the look on his face, the idea of wielding a 'Spectral Blade' of his own excited him... He would be just like the Steel Samurai on TV!

**Ok, now I know that this chapter really didn't accomplish anything at all, but the good professor always need to plan in advance, right? Something that bugged me in the actual games is that he always 'prepared' in advance for just about everything. It just seems like a 'Deus Ex Machina' whenever he does that out of nowhere! This time, his plan was told to the readers in advance, along with his logic. I know that ghosts are still in the 'Suspension of Disbelief' territory, but I tried to incorporate the Laytonesque brand of logic regardless. Oh, and Luke's a Steel Samurai fan boy now, because I can!**


	24. Police Stories

It was almost 11:00 AM and Luke had just finished his breakfast and got dressed in his signature blue attire. Professor Layton had been prepared hours before Luke even woke up, and they both headed out the door to check the police's viewpoint on Flora's injuries. Even though the professor saw Flora get attacked by a spirit with his own eyes and saw his hands seamlessly go through her attacker, he still wanted to believe that there was some kind of more logical explanation. His theory of spirits being composed of energy was only that: a theory. The professor wanted more than that, and the police have been assigned to the case involving Flora's injuries. The truth of the matter was that the professor could barely sleep at all last night. The echoing memories of his daughter's agonizing scream kept him wide awake...

The duo was already in the Triton car once more and set out to the police station nearest the snow tower.

Luke was giving directions as to where he would have to drive, "No, professah! Left, LEFT!"

The Triton car was quickly swerving left, just barely avoiding a small blue punch-buggy. The driver of this blue car yelled out some rather unsavory words to the distracted professor. Because this series is supposed to be E rated, I will not type down what words they actually are, and will just leave them to your imagination...

Luke gave more directions, "Now, straight along this road, go right, then straight aga... No, STRAIGHT first, THEN rig... Oh..."

The Triton car was driven the wrong way again. Behind the professor's gentle exterior was a subtle sense of guilt. His mind just kept wandering to Flora's hospitalization and he hasn't sleep well. He could barely keep his attention on the road...

Luke turned over to the professor, "Professah? Are you feeling well?"

The professor took a deep breath, "I... I just need to clear my thoughts... I haven't slept well."

"Oh, well, if you make a right along this road, we'll be back on course."

The professor drove right, as Luke directed him, which lead the duo back on track... and into the path of a green minivan swerving in their direction!

The professor turned the steering wheel as far as he could to get out of the minivan's way, "Ah!"

The green minivan kept swerving right past the Triton car and collided with a nearby bakery! The glass from the bakery's window flew in every direction, and the walls of the bakery collapsed from the minivan's impact.

Luke's jaw dropped in amazement, "We almost got crushed by that vehicle!"

To set the record straight, the professor didn't cause that vehicular crash. The minivan was heading toward **him** earlier and the professor swerved out of the way at the last second.

This ended up as a convenient wake-up call for the professor, "My word..."

Before the professor could check on the other driver, a squad of police cars had just parked nearby the crashed minivan. Police officers quickly exited their vehicles and surrounded the minivan and drew their guns. They shouted out to the driver of the minivan to come out with their hand up! The professor and Luke were witnessing the climax of a vehicular police chase!

The driver came out and was wearing a very skinny, white shirt, blue jeans, and old, beaten up shoes. He was a rigged and muscular tone, short black hair, and a trimmed beard and mustache. The most notable thing about this man that was being chased by the police was that he was holding an arm-length shotgun!

Soon enough, the duo started hearing gunshots come from the destroyed bakery! Even the professor was a little frightened, and he quickly drove the Triton car as far away from the shootout as possible.

Luke's hair underneath his cap was standing on end, "Professah? What should we do?"

The professor answered with a calm, yet intimidated voice, "We should let the police handle the situation. It is not our place to meddle in that affair."

More gunshots were heard as the Triton car was being driven away. Before the duo's vehicle was out of harm's way, a stray pellet coming from the standoff struck the rear-view mirror next to Luke and shattered it!

Luke was now shivering with fear, while the professor accelerated to a speed greater than before, but just barely under the speed limit. Yea, seriously...

The professor turned to the closest curve possible to get away from the standoff, and the duo sighed with relief. Unfortunately, the professor drove off course again..., "Oh dear..."

Luke helped the professor again, "Hmm... Well, if you drive left, and then turn right twice, we would be back on course. The professor did so, and the rest of the trip went without any further hitches, "Thank you, Luke. Goodness, we certainly aren't in London anymore..."

The duo arrived at the police station about fifteen minutes later and exited the vehicle. Luke lamented the cracked rear-view mirror on his side of the car.

They both entered the police station and the professor went to the nearest member of the police staff, "Excuse me, miss. May I borrow a moment of your time?"

The lady had a very short stature and very pale skin and puffy orange hair. She also wore the same uniform that the other officers wore. Another thing that was significant was that she looked and sounded bored out of her mind, which was odd, considering how much crime occurs within large cities.

The lady lifted her head up slightly to face the much taller gentleman and spoke was a nasally sounding voice, "What do you need, sir?"

"My name is Hershel Layton. Yesterday at approximately noon, my companion and adopted daughter, Flora Reinhold, was viciously attacked within the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower. I have need of your help in discovering who was responsible."

The receptionist or officer (the duo couldn't tell which) looked over some paperwork while muttering, "Layton... Layton...", and then, "Ah! Here it is. Yes, you were the one being questioned last nig..."

The phone next to the lady rung, "One moment, sir."

She picked it up and listened for a moment and then responded, "You got him?" Her eyes widen slightly. "Thank goodness... Yes, yes, thank you again!"

The duo was unsure what was going on and just glanced at each other.

The lady hung up the phone with a prideful grin on her face, "About time they got him... Now then..."

The professor continued, "We need your insight on what happened yesterday. I want to compare them to some facts that my companion and I have discovered."

"Yes, I see your work here, Layton. You're the one that help Scotland Yard back in London all the time, right?"

"Why, yes! Now, I realize that this seems rather... personal. But, I assure you that..."

The lady interrupted, "No need to defend yourself now. Anybody that can help put the hopeless SY back in London to be actually helpful could assist us!"

Scotland Yard, **hopeless**?

"Uh... Well, thank you." (That was easy.)

The lady pointed the duo to the evidence locker and then shouted to a fellow officer, "Yea, they finally got him! He just barely missed a blue Chevy and crashed in a bakery. The car just swerved out of the way at the last second!"

The duo looked over the evidence that another officer was already examining. The officer silently stood straight and saluted, and the duo returned the salute in kind.

There were mostly newspaper and recorded phone calls involving the incident. They all spoke of the snow tower with the snow surrounding it, the time of which this occurred which was noon, mysterious music, and most importantly, a gravely injured young lady. After only twenty minutes of examination, the professor grinned slightly. He found a contradiction!

**Here's a little puzzle for everyone. Using only the facts revealed above, and the course of the story, what do you think the professor found that contradicted the evidence. And no, I'm not missing anything...**


	25. Answering Last Chapter's Puzzle

Professor Layton had been cross-examining the evidence for only twenty minutes and had already spotted a contradiction within the duo's past experiences involving the snow tower.

Luke had not yet noticed what it was, but sounded very excited, "What did you find, Professah?"

The professor pointed at the scattered evidence within the box, "Tell me, Luke... What do you see when you look at the evidence?"

Luke investigated the evidence closely, and scratched his head in a puzzled manner, "There is mostly information on Flora getting attacked at the snow tower. There is also things that we have observed at the tower, by which I mean the music and snowfall."

"Correct, my boy. Now, recall what we have observed last night, when we were at the snow tower."

Luke pondered again, "Well, there was this really stubborn acolyte elder. What was his name again..? Father Ice... no, wait, **Frost**! He told us the tower was blessed by an angel, and that the miracles we saw there were caused by this angel's blessings. But, Professah, what does that have to do with the evidence?"

"Nothing, my boy. Keep thinking and you will find the answer."

Luke pondered yet again, "Mmm... We also met Mr. Queens, the proprietor of the Queens Museum of Art there. He told us that the acolytes were really con artists, and that the miracles were all phony."

"Correct."

Luke was now confused, "Professah? What does Mr. Queens have to do with the evidence here?"

The professor sounded slightly disappointed, "You still have not figured it out?"

Luke pulled out his pockets and revealed that they were empty, "I don't have any hint coins..."

The professor chuckled, "Very well. I will give you this hint for free. Mr. Queens told us that the miracles involved within the snow tower included the snowfall, wandering spirits, and music. Does that shed any light on the situation?"

Luke muttered to himself, "Snow, spirits, music, snow, spirits, music...", while searching the evidence box. After a while, he slouched his arms and groaned in defeat. Luke didn't understand...

The professor chuckled again, "All right, my boy. Let me explain, Mr. Queens mentioned the miracles within the snow tower to us, which means that he learned of them himself before he told us. And, within the evidence box lies most of the information that we have already heard and experienced earlier."

Luke sounded a little annoyed, "There is information on music and snowfall here, but nothing on spirits... What does that mean, Professah?"

The professor tipped his hat, "You have answered your own question, my boy."

Luke's eyes widened, "What?"

"I have told a police officer that spirits have attacked Flora yesterday, but something as abnormal as paranormal activity is not likely to be taken seriously by members of law enforcement."

The policeman standing nearby the duo chimed his own opinion, "Of course! We can't put 'haunted clock tower' as the cause of this crime! It would drive citizens insane, or make them think we're lying or powerless. If that happened, there would be people taking the law into their own hands! That's why the chief told us to leave out anything involving ghosts and not to let that go public!"

Luke was starting to figure it out, "But, if Mr. Queens didn't find out about ghosts from the newspaper or television, then how did he know? Unless..."

"Precisely... This contradiction alone does not mean that Mr. Queens is responsible, but I believe that there is something that he is not telling us. Perhaps the true culprit, assuming there even **is** one, will be confronted after we gather more information."

Luke pointed his finger upward, "So, we need to gather more information! But, how do we do that, Professah?"

"I'll explain while we are back in the car."

The duo had left the police station and returned to the car. (Yea, I guess I really didn't need to narrate that, but whatever...)

Luke was as cheerful as ever, "Don't keep your apprentice in suspense, Professah!"

The professor didn't want to have to go to this, after what happened to Flora, but this seemed to be the last option, "Unfortunately, we will need to investigate the spiritual portal in the snow tower once more. However, I am hesitant for us to investigate there because of the dangers we had witnessed last time."

Luke's cheerfulness subsided, "The snow tower... We couldn't even defend ourselves last time. You mentioned that we needed to harness energy to fight the spirits there."

The professor chuckled, "Not exactly... I said that we should harness energy to **protect** ourselves. A true gentleman abhors violence. And, I believe the music echoing throughout the tower is the key."

Luke recalled the last time they encountered spirits, "That soothing music calmed the spirits down the last time we were there."

"The music projects throughout the tower every hour, on the hour... That could not be coincidence. It would be a good idea to build a contraption that can record that same soothing music around our vicinity at all times while we investigate so that we may do so unharmed."

Luke had a suggestion, "What about an iPod, Professah?"

The professor thought about that, "I suppose that may suffice but, Luke, do you own an iPod?"

"Uh... No."

"And would you be willing to purchase one?"

Luke frowned, since he had already made several payments on the professor's behalf.

The professor chuckled, "I do not mean that seriously, Luke. You have spent enough for this investigation. This time, we will construct a recording device for use in this investigation. It may be a trifle old-fashioned, but I had always preferred it that way."

Luke related this to the other contraptions that the professor built, "Another one of the professor's famous steam punk styled creations!"

The professor needed materials to create this 'recording device', "Luke, would you happen to know where the nearest junkyard is, by chance?"

Luke's face went blank, "No.", and after a brief pause, "You want us to dig through garbage?"

The professor's face looked embarrassed, "Well, I suppose when you put it that way... Think of it like an archaeological dig!"

Obviously, the look on Luke's face revealed how much he didn't want to associate archaeology with digging through trash... He just spread his arms out, indicating that he's just going with it.

Before the duo left, Luke jotted down the fact that there was no information on spirits in the evidence box at the police station on his notepad, indicating that nobody would know about them without at least being involved with the snow tower in some way.

Now the duo will be seeking directions to the nearest junkyard to find materials needed for the creation of the professor's recording device, which seems **really** unnecessary, given that all sorts of recording devices can be bought at various electronic stores. At least Luke doesn't have to finance this investigation anymore, so there's that to be happy about...

**No Laytonesque investigation would be complete without some contraption made from junk! Honestly, this just seems like an excuse to do that though, but I TRIED to justify it as best as I could without a deus ex machina moment.**


	26. Preparing for the Journey Ahead

Professor Layton and his apprentice had arrived at a local junkyard which is known as 'Crazy Pete's Crazy Junk'. Well, at least that's what the enormous metal sign read... It looked as if was made of random pieces of metal slapped together sloppily. It was almost noon, and the duo needed to get some materials to create a device that can record sounds echoing through the air. There were all sorts of junk just lying around: automobile parts, pieces of stove, busted clocks, gears, springs, broken glass, busted chairs, bells, vacuum hoses, screws, hammers, beds with springs sticking out of them, televisions with broken screens, computer monitors, clothes, doorknobs, cardboard boxes, picture frames, wires, clothespins, lamps, shoes, hats, (huff huff) washing machine parts, broken tables, stockings, broken headsets, torn curtains, (well... I think I've said enough, you get the idea...).

The professor browsed around many of the odds and ends here, "I was under the assumption that a junkyard only had automobile parts for sale."

Luke tugged on his hat slightly, "This place has everything!"

The duo heard a very distinct voice coming from one of the many piles of junk, "**YEEEEEHAAAAA!"** The voice had like an old Western delight to it.

At that point, a figure literally jumped out of where the voice came from, and knocked the junk that he was hiding in all over the place. One of these pieces of junk, which was a sink faucet, was knocked directly toward the direction of the professor's top hat, at which point he promptly ducked under. The figure was wearing what looked like a trash can with straps as clothing, and what looks like a cowboy's hat made of pieces of scrap metal. The only thing that was shown in the flesh was his face, which was very old and wrinkled, and was missing some dominant teeth. This figure had a long, but surprisingly well-groomed gray beard, and was otherwise bald.

"Well, **howdy** strangers! Welcome to the greatest assortment of junk and crap known to mankind, Crazy Pete's Crazy Junk! And, I'm the proud owner, **CRAAAAAZY PEEEETE!**"

The professor and Luke just silently turned their heads toward one another and stared at each other silently...

"Well, come on in, y'all! Don't be shy! You two have got to be the first visitors I've had in **weeeeeks!**"

Although the professor was silent about it, he could imagine why they were his first visitors right away..., "Y-yes... My name is Hershel Layton, and this is my companion, Luke. We are currently in need of materials to create a recording device. I understand that this should be much cheaper than a store-bought recording device." He glanced at Luke for a moment, "We are, as one would say, 'strapped for cash'."

Pete gave a crooked and almost shocking smile to the duo, "**Well**, I suppose we can come to an agreement and... Oh dang! I excited myself so much, I reckon I got myself stiff! Gimme a sec..."

At that moment came something truly horrifying to the duo, something neither of them will ever forget... Pete grabbed his right arm with his left hand and twisted it sharply, letting out a sickening crack from his elbow. He then did the same thing to his other arm. But, that was just the beginning... Pete put both of his hands behind his back, from within the 'trash can suit' and pushed his back forward, letting out more cracks... And just when the professor and Luke was uncomfortable enough, Pete put his right hand on his neck and his left hand on the top of his head and twisted his neck sharply, letting out even more gruesome cracks.

The professor's face turned pale while watching this, and Luke actually squealed at the sight of Pete cracking his own neck, and held his mouth shut so as to avoid vomiting. Pete still wasn't done, as now he clasped his fingers together with the palms of his hands facing away from him, and bent his fingers backward, and letting out many more cracks at once.

At last, Pete felt less tense, "Oh boy... That's so... goody..." Pete noticed the duo feeling ill and misinterpreted the meaning, "Hey, partners! Either of you fellas need to get a crazy twist? It relaxes the muscles!"

The professor assumed that this meant that Pete would 'offer' to crack his or Luke's bones and responded with a mild, but resounding, "No."

"Well, your loss then, fellas. Now, anyways, about the recording device."

The professor had an idea with how to construct this invention. He had always been good at creating useful pieces of equipment, such as a helicopter bicycle and a slot machine gun that used coins as ammunition.

He created these things using mere junk in the past, and had a very good sense of inspiration, "Some pieces of scrap metal should be melted down and welded together to form the shape of the contraption. Magnetic tape as well as its casing from a tape recorder, and the bells of at least five tubas is necessary for the sound reproduction. Some small pipes should be placed carefully within the contraption and have gears attached outside of them to spin the tape. One of the ends of pipe are to be connected to the tape while the other is to be connected to a handle, which is to be spun constantly by hand. A door knob or handle of some sort should suffice."

Crazy Pete held his hands outward with his hands forming a square, as if to visualize what the final product of this contraption will look like, "So, you fellas need a man-size phonograph?"

The professor couldn't think of a better way to explain it, "Uhh... Yes, that would explain what we need very well. We will also need a way to drive this contraption, since it will be rather heavy when it is complete. I believe some treads, much like the tracks of an army tank, and some wheels should suffice. The finished product should be able to carry at least 400 pounds, if I had calculated that correctly. Some pedals and levers to drive and brake the contraption is for safety."

Beneath Crazy Pete's... uhh, craziness, is a mind that can actually match Professor Layton's ingenuity, as he appeared to actually understand just how this recording device will work! The professor and Pete were bartering just how much each item would be in value before the big purchase, and the cost came to $14.82. Since the professor did not have U.S. dollars (he had British money), Luke had to once again pay for this investigation. Even though this isn't nearly as much money spent as a new iPod, Luke couldn't help but feel a bit sore about having spent over **fifty dollars** in only a couple of days!

There was another matter that the professor had to deal with... All of those materials could not possibly fit within the Triton car, and he needed to have Luke's father come and pick it up, "Luke, I am going to seek out and try to borrow a phone to contact your father. He will need to come and pick up the ca..."

Before the professor finished, Luke pulled out what appeared to be a handheld device that looked like a phone. Luke dialed a number on it, and started talking to the person on the other end, "Luke here, Father! Hehehehe... 'Luke... here...' Get it? Father, we need someone to pick up the car. The professah is going to create another one of his contraptions for the investigation. Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Crazy Pete's Crazy Junk... Thank you, Father! Yes, you too! Bye!"

Luke hung up the phone, and the professor was just staring quite puzzled at Luke, "Is that device a phone, Luke?"

Luke was very surprised, "It's a cell phone, Professah... You don't know what a cell phone is!?"

The professor was unsure, "Cell... phone..."

Luke chuckled at the professor's lack of understanding the technology of today's youth, "Father is coming to pick up the car via cab. He'll be here in about a half hour."

The professor was unsure of another word, "Cab? Is that slang, my boy?"

Luke's expression began to droop, "Trolley..." He almost forgot that they weren't in London anymore.

Now that the car was taken care of, the duo began construction of their newest contraption.

**()**

Meanwhile, back in the 'Tower of a Frozen Era' dungeon within the spiritual portal, Travis was now ready to enter the last floor: Floor 50. (Yes, this is actually going to be relevant to the professor's story.)

Travis had been exploring and fighting nonstop for over fourteen hours, and he was just about ready to start snoring! The exit to the 49th floor had frozen columns made of ice before it. Stranger still, the columns had ice sculptures on it, which looked like, "More top hats? Whatever's at the end of this has got a real fetish with proper attire..."

The exit itself looked like a giant clock that was missing its larger hand. The gate key that Travis was holding was the clock's smaller hand. Travis could actually see the ethereal sky of the spiritual realm from here (there was no ceiling), and it was snowing very heavily from above.

The same voice that was begging Travis to stop from earlier had continued to do so while I was typing the professor's story. Travis was ready to inevitably confront this... whatever it is... because most adversaries are dealt with towards the end. In this case, the end would be the boss floor!

**Yay! I finally finished the 26th chapter! The next one will explain just what is on the 50th floor, and more importantly: Professor Layton's investigation within the snow tower, using one of his contraptions that he makes. I spent this chapter trying to explain in detail where the professor would get the materials, what he would make, and how he would make it, so this didn't feel like a 'Deus Ex Machina'. Did I do a good job? Feel free to review!  
**

**Really, I get the feeling that nobody is actually reading this anymore... If there is anyone that actually want me to continue typing this fanfic, please leave a message at the review box so I know that someone actually cares about this fic.  
**


	27. Ultimate Spirit of Snow

It was about 1:30 and Professor Layton and Luke have spent the past hour assembling their newest contraption with a hefty assortment of junk that they (well, Luke) purchased from a junk trader. There were several scattered blueprints all over the floor which detailed different designs for the professor's 'energy sound machine' along with one of these finished designs have been nearly completed.

The bottom portion was very gray and metal, and was composed of eight wheels (four on each side) and a frame on the bottom to support the rest of the machine. The wheels were made of steel, and were surrounded by treads, much like the tracks on a tank, so that the wheels would be less likely to break. The middle part of the machine would be what carries the professor and Luke, while it was being driven. The outside portion looked much like a giant metal funnel and would be attached to the frame on the bottom from above. The diameter of the funnel was over three feet in length, so it could fit both of the duo at the same time. There were matching metal stairs on the left and right sides of the machine, so the duo could climb in. The inside of the funnel had levers and buttons which controlled the machine. The back of the machine supported the tuba bells and was connected to the magnetic tape from within the machine.

The professor wiped the dirt from under his hat on his forehead off as a sign of a task nearly complete, "I believe that we have one more step in our newest contraption."

Finally, the professor took a piece of metal with Layton's signature 'hat logo' cut out of it and placed it on the front side of the machine and spray painted the partially covered front side in a bold brown color.

The duo stared for a while at the finished product for a moment. The professor seemed satisfied with the result, but Luke found the contraption to be almost like an abomination... After all, the whole contraption was literally people's garbage welded together...

The professor was oblivious to Luke's displeasure, "Well, Luke. What do you think? Could this be my greatest contraption yet?"

Luke struggled to find an answer, "It's really quite... uh... um... STURDY! Y...yes, very sturdy and strong! _(And the whole thing looks like rubbish...)_"

The professor wanted to thank this 'Crazy' Pete one more time before leaving. However, Pete looked... well, occupied to put it nicely...

Crazy Pete was very literally twisting his back and neck backwards! The professor couldn't tell if what he was moaning was from pleasure or if it was a cry for help... The more the professor stared at Pete, and listened to his bones crack like popping wrapping paper, the more his very spine faltered... The duo left his company without another word.

Now, there was another problem that the duo had just realized. Since Luke's father took the car because the new contraption was too large and heavy to carry home, they would have to drive this contraption home instead. The problem would be the rate of speed that the contraption would go. Its top speed was about 10 miles per hour...

Now, there isn't much worth telling about a couple of people driving a makeshift machine in the middle of a very large and famous city. Except for the fact that thousands of people were staring at them when they passed by... Or, that the slow speed of the contraption held up traffic for a long time... And that the people behind the duo were yelling out all sorts of unsavory language to the duo which could mean that many of those people ended up late to whatever jobs or appointments that were supposed to go today... The entire 'drive' home is best left to the imagination...

When the duo finally did get back home, after **two hours**, they needed to pack up some supplies for going back into this 'spiritual dimension' within the snow tower. They needed food and water in case they were trapped for a while. They also needed their research books that Luke got from the library. And finally, this 'Necronomicon' book that was found on the snow tower in a floor far above this 'portal'. That couldn't be coincidental...

The professor also brought the odd vials that were found within the 'Necronomicon' book when he first opened it, even though he never understood its purpose just yet, except that they can hold energy.

In fact, Luke even question why, "Professah? Have you uncovered what those vials actually do?"

The professor shook his head in response, "I am still unsure, but if I were to make an assumption, these vials can possibly hold and transfer energy as necessary."

Before the duo left, Luke said his goodbyes to his parents again. Hopefully, they would be back with answers about this mystery...

()

Meanwhile, Travis had just entered the last floor in the 'Tower of a Frozen Era' dungeon. (**Again, yes, this is actually going to matter in Layton's story!**)

The last floor looked much like the peak of a large and snowy mountain. The blizzard in this mountain felt rough enough to rip off Travis's fur! And all that surrounded Travis was snow... Snow as far as the eye can see...

And in the very middle of this harsh blizzard were various pieces of ice sculpted into various shapes. One ice sculpture looked like a large top hat, and another looked like a giant clock. These were all elements that Travis had seen in the dungeon beforehand. Finally, the most significant thing to see on this floor was a spirit. Just one spirit... and it appeared to be playing a piano shaped entirely of ice. Somehow, sound could still come out of this ice sculpture, and the music that came from this piano was extremely familiar...

"That's the music that calmed the other ghosts... So, **you're** the one playing that music all the time..."

The spirit that was playing the music suddenly stopped and turned to Travis's direction in response. It turned its face toward Travis and had the same distinctive female voice that was trying to stop Travis from ascending the dungeon all day...

_"Why did you come here? I told you that it was dangerous, that the living should never be here..."_

Travis recognized that voice and turned very hostile, "You! You're the one trying to kill me with the Sentinels and Clockwork Soldiers!"

Travis was able to get a closer look at this ghost. It was transparent, like all the other ghosts, but that's where the similarities end. It had the appearance of a human lady, and appeared to wear casual blue clothes and a white undershirt. It also had a necklace and a pink scarf on its neck, and its curled-up hair had a ginger coloring to it... Well, with the transparency, that is. Another very distinctive feature of this ghost was its glowing blue eyes, which contrasted the red eyes from nearly every other ghost that Travis had ever seen.

This ghost was certainly different, which only made Travis more cautious, "I'm here for the White Atlamillia stone."

The ghost's facial expression looked slightly nervous, while Travis continued, "Don't try to deny it! I know you have it, so hand it over!"

_"That stone... It can't leave here, ever!"_

Travis muttered to himself, "Figured as much..."

_"The trapped souls here... They were suffering so much. This is your doing!"_

Travis's eyes widened a bit, "My fault? They started it..."

The spirit ignored Travis, _"I wanted to help them and keep them in peace. But, you..."_ The spirit pointed at Travis, _"You cut them down without mercy! They could have been saved! They could have crossed over! And now... they're gone... All those poor souls were destroyed because of you! I wanted you to leave peacefully, but now... All those people are gone! Forever!"_

Travis actually started to look bored, while the lone spirit continued, _"I played this music to calm them and ease their pain. None of them could ever forgive themselves or find any solace. I need the Atlamillia to do that and keep them from harming the innocent lives on the other side! Neither you, nor any other living person must ever hold it..."_

Finally, Travis has had enough, "Would you shut up?!"

The lone spirit had a shocked expression on her face, while Travis was the one now talking, "Do I look like I care? Here's my problem: my rent's due, my landlord's got a big mouth, and the stone's my paycheck, so quit giving me your...", Travis's voice turned sarcastic, "they're all sad and lonely **crap**."

The lone spirit sounded almost horrified at Travis's response, _"How can you be so selfish?"_

Travis still wasn't interested, "My last warning: gimme the stone or end up like all the other ghosts! Take your pick!"

_"So... That's how it is? You think you can just waltz in here, destroy hundreds of suffering souls, and take the one thing keeping them from harming the world of the living?"_

"If they really try to kill people, I'll beat them too!"

_"That isn't the point! But you've made your choice, and left me with none!"_

The lone spirit started to glow with a light blue aura and stretched her arms toward the directions of the ice sculptures. The ice sculptures immediately shattered into shards of ice and flew toward the lone spirit's direction. She moved her arms which caused the shards of ice surrounding her to move in the same fashion, much like extra pairs of arms. Finally, the lone spirit extended her arms outward and seemed to pull out a glowing red sword out of nothing!

Travis knew that this wouldn't be easy... He recognized that sword's appearance, "Is that a Chronicle2?"

Travis pulled out his PDA and made his scan. He knew there was a fight coming.

Name: Snow Angel  
Genus: Boss  
Height: 5' 4"  
Weight: N/A  
Element: Ice

An extremely powerful spirit that wields ice elemental power and chronomancy. Despite what the name suggests, this spirit is not truly divine, but it is, in fact, a human female's spirit. Scanners reveal that this spirit's very presence is causing the surrounding blizzard. Though unconfirmed, the spirit's chronomancy power may come from a death caused by time distortion, though how one could accomplish that and how the ice element relates to this is not known. The weapon that this spirit wields is known as a 'Chronicle2' sword, and it amplifies the chronomancy powers of its wielder up to threefold! Scanners also reveal that this spirit's mind is still fully intact, and is capable of living speech. The combination of this spirit's power and strength of will suggests that this spirit is no weaker than Class Seven, which is far above the strength of any living person or thing. Combat is not advised.

Travis stared at the PDA results with his mouth wide open, "Class Seven?!"

To clarify, a spirit's 'class' represents its level, much like a character's level in an RPG. Class one doesn't require any kind of effort to beat, while class five is about as strong as a living athlete. Naturally, class seven is something that actually **intimidates** Travis.

Travis released his Spectral Blades and appeared ready for a fight despite his disadvantage, "Fine, but you asked for it!"

**Ok, I know that this chapter took a long time, but I was procrastinating again. By the way, a Chronicle2 sword was one of the ultimate tier weapons in the 'Dark Cloud' series, which was also developed my Level-5. Happy holidays!**


	28. Laytonesque Humor (and a boss battle)

Professor Layton and Luke were forced to drive to the snow tower within their giant music recording tank, much to the chagrin of the traffic behind the duo. I don't need to explain that again, since I already covered that part last chapter... Anyway, the duo arrived back at the snow tower again at about 4:45 PM. The employee outside the gate as well as the other tourists stared in disbelief at the professor's enormous funnel with wheels and tuba horns.

The professor couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed for himself, but he there was no point in stopping now. The spiritual portal was still in the snow tower's basement, through the doors in the main entrance... that the professor's contraption couldn't fit through...

And now, the professor had realized that, "Oh dear..."

Amidst the emotional pain of Flora's hospitalization, the effort of constructing their latest contraption, the confusion of all his unanswered questions, and the stress from every motorist behind the professor in traffic for the past few hours, a trifle thing called 'common sense' seemed to slip the professor's mind...

Luke still had faith in the professor, and was very eager to finally continue the investigation, "Professah? How do we get our contraption to the basement?"

The duo had to use an **elevator** to get down to the basement last time. There wasn't any other way down, and the professor's contraption was roughly eight feet in height, now counting the professor's hat sticking out of the top... It wouldn't even fit through the six foot tall entrance, let alone an even smaller elevator...

The professor had to stop and think for a moment. Since the duo can't just drive through the door, and they can't lift the recording equipment within their contraption, he tried thinking 'outside the box', much like many of the puzzles given to him require to find an answer.

Solving this dilemma would be like unscrambling a word puzzle, only it was the professor's thoughts that were scrambled, _"The basement is underground... The doors are much too small... The record mobile is exceedingly heavy... People are still watching and pointing at me... Yes, lots of pointing... Pointing with my fing... Concentrate, Hershel!"_

Luke was just staring at the professor, "Professah? You **do** have a solution, right?"

It was as if Luke's question brought the professor back to reality, "Yes, my boy."

The professor drove their 'record mobile' contraption away from the tower at first. There was a building nearby with a slanted roof, as if it was built within the ground from one side, and above the ground on the other side. Literally speaking, it was possible to drive on the roof of that building. This gave the professor a rather bizarre idea...

He drove his contraption around the road that leads toward the roof of this slanted building and then drives on top of the slanted building. Now, the duo was facing the snow tower's back side, and was roughly twelve feet across from it.

Luke was very confused at what the professor was doing, "Professah? Why did you drive us on the roof of the employee rec room?"

This building was a rec room for employees working at the snow tower. It was built recently within the ground and is mostly made up of a type of metal called 'cementitious foam', which is very durable and can insulate heat, but is also fireproof. Since there is snowfall all around the tower, employees going on their lunch break would also need a place to warm up and relax.

The professor took a deep breath and muttered quietly to Luke, "I fear that I may not be reprimanded for this, but there is no other way to get our contraption underground."

Luke rose an eyebrow in confusion, "W... what are you doing? Professah?"

The professor responded to Luke's question with a simple statement, "Hang on to your hat..."

Luke became nervous instantly. Without another second of delay, the professor drove forward off of the roof of the slanted rec room and crashed into the pavement below! The combination of the heavy weight of the professor's contraption and the force of the impact had actually caused the pavement to break apart! The professor's contraption had literally made a hole on the ground, which lead to the basement of the snow tower!

Luke's jaw was wide open in shock, as he stared upward at the hole leading outside, from within the 'record mobile', "Have you gone mad, Professah?!"

The professor shrugged off his apprentice's sudden (and appropriate) outburst, "I have not, Luke." He then pointed toward the spiritual portal, which was still where it was last time. Now, the duo could take their contraption through it.

Before they did though, the professor had to wait for the soothing music to play again so that they could record it. Since it plays every hour, on the hour, the duo had to wait about ten more minutes.

Of course, it wasn't that easy, since there was now a huge hole above the basement's ceiling, complete with tourists stared in shock at the duo, and calling out exquisite vocabulary, such as 'This is why you shouldn't do drugs, stupid!' and the like.

The professor's idea of waiting in the living dimension now didn't seem very pleasant, so he changed his mind and just drove through the portal immediately. Since the entrance of the spirit dimension wasn't infested with ghosts like the rest of the dimension was, they could still wait in safety until the music played again.

Since the portal wasn't visible to the naked eye, and had to be scanned, the professor had to use memory to go through it again. When he did, the same angry tourists that were shouting all sorts of profanities were now just staring in silent shock as the duo with their contraption seemingly passed through a solid wall!

()

Meanwhile, Travis was now ready to destroy the 'Snow Angel' boss and retrieve the White Atlamillia. He set his blades to the 'Flame' setting and lunged toward her, readying his attack!

The snow angel was floating still where she was and her only movement was a slight flick of her wrist upward. When she did this, a giant icicle came from right under Travis and impaled him through his right leg!

Travis slipped on the ground with the blood from his leg dripping on the snowy ground, gritting his teeth in pain. He composed himself and drove himself from the snow to try to attack again, but the snow angel wasn't even there anymore. In fact, she was nowhere to be seen...

Travis was gripping his leg in pain and was confused about the snow angel's sudden disappearance, "Where the hell did she..?"

He could still hear her soft voice echoing through the air which betrayed her presence to an extent, but couldn't find out exactly where...

It didn't take long to find out, since Travis felt a large shard of ice club him in the back of the head, knocking him to his knees. This surprise attack was followed by another shard of ice shoving him in the back, knocking Travis face down in the snow.

Enraged, Travis drove himself from the snow yet again, but even faster than last time. The snow angel was right in front of him, and he slowly approached her this time, trying to avoid another grounded icicle. When he was roughly six feet from her, he lunged at her again, only to find the snow angel thrusting her transparent left arm in front of her, as if to block the attack. This caused one of the icicles nearby her to match her arm's movement, and parry Travis's attack.

Before Travis could try to strike with his other blade, the snow angel thrusts her right arm toward Travis, which caused another icicle next to her to match her movement, and impale Travis through his shoulder. There was no blood, since Travis's scaled clothing absorbed the attack, but it still caused Travis to recoil backward. Then, the snow angel launched a flurry of icicles at Travis from close range, and striking him each time. Finally, she crossed her arms and then spread them outward, creating a motion with two of her icicles to cross beneath Travis's feet and spread under him, causing him to trip.

Before Travis even hit the ground, the snow angel impaled his scaled clothing with even more icicles. She raised her arms up with the icicles still imbedded in Travis's clothing, which caused the icicles to literally lift him off of the ground! Now that Travis was helpless, she pressed all of her icicles against Travis and spread them in different directions all at once. This caused Travis to get propelled in the air, which left him completely vulnerable to an air combo! (This is kind of like a Street Fighter video game or something.)

The snow angel flailed her arms repeatedly above her, which caused her icicles to swat Travis repeatedly, spinning him around in mid-air with each blow and keeping him in the air. This was followed by a combo finisher involving all **8** of her icicles striking Travis simultaneously! Travis was launched about twelve feet in the air and landed on the snow so hard, that he literally bounced a couple of times.

Travis was visibly exhausted now... He was exploring a dungeon for hours without a break in between, and was now getting curb-stomped by a Class Seven ice spirit.

The snow angel stopped for a moment to speak again, _"Well, are you willing to stop now?"_

Travis didn't say a word, but growled in disgust, as he dragged himself from the snow yet again.

The snow angel was still holding her 'Chronicle2' sword and had all of her icicles surrounding her. Because she was a Class Seven, Travis knew that she could've killed him in a second, but she held back. Travis couldn't figure out why, for the life of him...

The snow angel continued to speak, _"You know why I'm stopping you, don't you? There's no telling what chaos that may be unleashed if you try to take the stone out of this world. This is your final chance to leave with your life. I don't want to kill you!"_

Travis muttered to himself, "A merciful ghost, that's a new one..."

_"I know how it feels to follow your own ambitions... To give up when you're so close may seem unthinkable, but this is how it has to be! My OWN ambitions have caused suffering to the people I care about in the past... I can't forgive myself for what I've done, but at least I can prevent something worse from happeni..."_

Travis interrupted her mid-speech, "I said **SHUT UP!**"

The snow angel pointed her glowing red sword toward Travis, _"Then your time in life must end... I'm sorry."_

A lone spirit with human clothes, a pink scarf, curled ginger hair, and glowing blue eyes. And she was controlling eight icicles at once, which for one spirit is incredible! And finally, a 'Chronicle2' sword, which is top tier! This wasn't going to be easy...

**Well, I finished this chapter more quickly than I thought! I played a lot of God of War 3 earlier, so I mostly thought about a vicious fight in this chapter! Yes, I know that God of War and Professor Layton don't mix, so there are mostly Dark Cloud elements instead... As always, feel free to review! I enjoy reading what my readers think!**


	29. Layton's Resolve (and LaytonVania)

When Professor Layton and Luke escaped from what would have turned into an angry mob and entered the spiritual realm again, the first thing that they noticed was the gaping hole in the ceiling above them. Once again, the spiritual realm is to 'dark world' as living realm is to 'light world'. Changes that occur in the living realm also happen in the spirit realm, and vice-versa. Luke was setting up the recording equipment so that when the soothing music played again, he could record and replicate it constantly so that the duo could investigate this 'realm' without risk of being attacked. Notice that I use quotation marks in 'realm', because the professor is still skeptical about everything, despite constant evidence to the contrary.

Luke had just finished setting up the equipment in about three minutes, "All finished, Professah!"

The professor took a moment to examine Luke's adjustments, "Wonderfully done, Luke. Now we need only to wait until the music plays again in about...", The professor pulled out a gold pocket watch out of his coat pocket., "four minutes."

Since the duo had a moment, Luke had to ask about the professor's sudden moment of recklessness since the last chapter, "Professah? Would you mind explaining why you had to drive us off of a building, crash into the pavement, and forge a **large hole** earlier?"

The professor tugged his hat over his eyes in slight embarrassment, "Ah... Uh, well... I can assure you that there was a perfectly logical explanation for... well..."

Luke's voice and eyes dulled a bit, "Vandalism on public property?"

The professor's voice sounded noticeably subdued, "Y-yes, well... The only other way to the basement was the elevator, and our recording machine could not fit."

Luke made a rather insightful counter to that, "We could've simply taken our machine apart in several smaller pieces and reconstructed it in the basement. We had already constructed it once before."

"I had considered that... However, there would be no way for us to ascend to the higher floors in this realm."

Luke's finger pointed toward the elevator, "Why not?"

"Do you remember the last time we had used that elevator? It had literally flung us out of it and onto the floor. We would have to keep the pieces of our machine separated until they were **all** on the ground floor. While the machine is sturdy when in wholly one piece, the pieces can be rather fragile if manually taken apart. In particular, the magnetic tape would be useless if it was damaged in any way... By forging a hole above us, there is now an alternative solution for driving this machine inside and outside whenever necessary."

Luke was noticeably annoyed with the professor, which did not happen often, "So, for the sake of our investigation, you've committed... ", and then Luke pointed at Layton the same way that Layton would make an accusation, "**A FELONY!**"

Luke's voice echoed throughout the empty room when he shouted. (FELONY... felony... felony... felony... felony...)

The professor had no answer for that... Luke was absolutely right. There were many witnesses watching the professor's 'answer' for getting his machine this far. They watched him **vandalize public property** in the name of his 'investigation'. He would surely be reported to the authorities.

The professor wordlessly swallowed whatever remaining saliva was in his throat. Both him and Luke were silent for a couple of minutes. The best word to describe this situation was... awk-waaaaard.

After those couple of minutes, the professor sighed, "I... apologize, Luke."

Luke's eyes rose a bit, "Hm?"

The professor spoke to Luke as if he was confessing a sin to a priest, "You were right. Our investigation was no excuse to damage public property. It's just...". The professor took a deep breath, "I have lived for many years not knowing the truth... Not having closure... I had spent much of my life in regret. I had already told you this story before but, when I was young, one of my closest friends had fallen off of a cliff and had amnesia for 18 years."

Luke remembered that story. The professor told him this during an earlier mystery, "You mean Randall?"

The professor nodded, "Yes... And in my college years, I had lost my dearest sweetheart, just when I was recovering from losing my friend..."

"You mean Claire?"

The professor nodded again, "And I had never known the truth about either of them for many years. For all those years, I felt powerless on the inside. And now... Now, Flora is in the hospital, because a 'spirit' attacked her and...". The professor's voice was noticeably full of emotion, "**I don't know why!**"

Luke was silent with pity.

The professor was nearly at a point of despair, "My beloved daughter... I saw her innocent face, mutilated and burned, and all seemingly without motive! I still hear her horrifying shriek in my mind. I could not even sleep last night!"

Luke seemed ready to sob, "Professah..."

"This is no longer about the snow tower, Luke! I... I need Flora to be provided justice. And I don't want to live without closure all over again. Whoever is responsible **must** answer for what they have done! I've felt that guilt linger with me for far too long... Beneath my strive to be a true gentleman, I am but a flawed individual, like any other..."

Luke couldn't even hold his tears any more... He started sobbing uncontrollably. The professor was wide-eyed in shock. He hugged Luke, much like a father would, "There there... I did not mean to upset you."

The duo had spent quite a bit of time retelling their favorite adventures with one another while they waited. It was a small solace, and a wonderful reminder of better days. It didn't seem to matter how long the duo waited for the music to play again.

The music...

The professor checked his pocket watch again. It was **5:40**!

"What?"

Luke didn't understand, "What is it, Professah?"

"Luke, we've been here for almost an hour. There's no music..."

"Huh? But I thought there was supposed to be music every hour."

"There **was**. Perhaps if we wait here a little while longer..."

And so, they waited... The combination of anticipation and boredom seemed to make time move slower... It was very much like a child waiting their last hours before Christmas.

The professor checked his pocket watch again. It was **6:10**!

Now, the professor was visibly annoyed, "Well, we have been patient for long enough." He abandoned his machine and prepared to just investigate anyway.

Luke was shocked, "What are you doing, Professah?"

"The song does not seem to play anymore. I know this may not be the safest option, but I will not leave without answers."

Luke nodded in agreement, which was not was the professor expected, given their earlier conversation.

The professor was concerned, since he had basically dragged Luke this far, "Are you sure about this, Luke? This machine was to be our only defense, and now we cannot even use it. If you wish to go back to safety, I would not hold it against you."

Luke was sure, "It's alright, Professah! Your apprentice is with you to the end!"

Those words made the professor have to hold his tears. This would easily be the most reckless thing that they had ever done!

**LEEEEERROOOOOY JEEEENKIIIIINS!**

The duo just rushed up the hole that the professor had made and ran to the entrance of the 'cursed tower'. (Yea, I called the spiritual counterpart of the snow tower the 'cursed tower'. It's cliché as hell, but it works.)

There was a stairway that the duo saw Travis use before they parted ways with him. Travis told them that he was sure that the 'White Atlamillia' that he seeks is up there, and Travis wasn't without suspicion himself, given that he knew about how to deal with spirits so effectively.

Professor Layton and Luke were now on the first floor of the 'Tower of a Frozen Era' dungeon. I already described it when Travis was here, so I won't bother again, since it's not **that** important anyway. But, the place was empty, aside from the piles of ectoplasm that were on the ground that were once spirits before Travis destroyed them.

There was basically a lot of travelling the same way that Travis went, aside from a few detours. I won't even bother explaining in detail every step that the duo had taken, because that would bore readers way too much. The only things of interest was that the professor opened a chest with a bag of powder, and Luke found a chest with a leather whip in it. Seriously, that's about it... (Pointless Dark Cloud-style treasure chests for the win!)

Instead, I will start at the ninth floor. More specifically, I will go in detail about the Sentinel that Travis evaded earlier. The sentinel that **wasn't** destroyed...

Like with Travis, the sentinel approached the duo with the intent to crush them to death. The floor was still very slippery and icy. The sentinel was still very massive and imposing.

Luke remember a little trick from reading a book about vampire hunters and another about Greek Mythology, "Professah! I've got a plan, but I need you to distract that... thing!"

Before the professor could object, Luke ran around the sentinel and behind it. The professor just went with it at this point, since he had already endured many things much more bizarre. The professor waved his arms like a moron, trying to keep the guardian's attention. When Luke got into his position, he struck the sentinel's heel repeatedly with his new whip, shouting things like "Take that!" over and over again. Greek Mythology suggests that seemingly invincible beings had a weak point called an 'Achilles Heel'.

While the sentinel was not capable of speech, its posture suggested that it would say "Seriously?". Needless to say, Luke's 'idea' didn't work. The whip bounced off of the metal leg harmlessly and the giant golem turned to crush Luke with its enormous hammer.

Luke darted out of the way in the last second, shouting, "The Belmont Clan makes it look so easy!"

Out of instinct to help Luke, Layton did a parkour wall climbing move on the sentinel's leg to distract it. He hung on to the sentinel's back, shouting at Luke to run to safety, so that he can get off. The safest place that Luke could go was the exit of the floor, which was behind Luke, and away from the sentinel. The sentinel twisted its back and flung the professor on the ice **hard**.

Layton grasped his back and gritted his teeth in pain. The professor just ran toward Luke and the floor exit as quickly as possible and away from the sentinel's incoming hammer! When he reached the exit, he stopped so fast, that he slipped face-down on the floor. Luke pulled the professor up quickly and they both shuffled upstairs toward the tenth floor as quickly as possible.

The duo were huffing in exhaustion and grasped their knees. They didn't realize the kind of place they were in...

The tenth floor was basically a giant clock in the middle of nowhere. The duo was standing on top of a giant clock, with four doors next to the 12, 3, 6, and 9 of this clock floor.

There was no way to know which door to investigate first, so they just went to the one in front of them, which was the door next to the twelve.

Within this door was a vast blizzard, with snow everywhere. It was as if the duo had stepped into another world (again). There were footprints in the snow that looked like paws and residue in the snow that could come from heat or electricity. Immediately, the professor assumed that these prints belonged to Travis, while he was holding his weapons.

The duo followed these footprints and eventually found Travis, who was preoccupied with fighting the 'Snow Angel' for a while. Travis's weapons were blade-locked with the spirit's icicles and 'Chronicle2', as if they were sword-fighting. Travis attempted to stab this spirit (yet again), only for it to literally 'warp' repeatedly behind him, and strike him from behind each time. That little tactic is called 'Teleport Spamming'.

Luke shouted at Travis first, "Travis!"

While Travis did seem surprised to see the duo here, he was rather preoccupied at the moment, "A little **busy** here..."

During the whole time, the professor was just staring in awe at this 'Snow Angel' and seemed to ignore everything else around him. It looked so familiar, "That... couldn't possibly be..."

Travis was preparing yet another attack, and the spirit was prepared to parry yet again. Before they did, the professor approached the two fighting entities, the lone spirit and a hunter. The snow angel noticed the professor's presence and stopped immediately what she was doing. The professor and the snow angel stared at each other wide-eyed in shock, as if the world around them didn't exist...

This 'snow angel' uttered one word and her face looked like she was in tears, _"Hershel..."_

Travis didn't know what was going on, but he didn't care. He had his opportunity! He attacked the distracted spirit with his 'Spectral Blade' and stabbed her through what her abdomen would be if she was a living person, "**GOTCHA!**"

The spirit screamed in pain, as the fire from Travis's weapon ignited her, but Travis didn't relent. He stabbed her again, and again, and again... Travis looked like a raving animal, growling in fury, and his attacked becoming more brutal each second!

The duo were just watching Travis mutilate this spirit in pieces and in unbelievable rage. When he was finished, the icicles surrounding the spirit collapsed into the snow, and the Chronicle2 sword fell blade-first into the snow. Travis quickly confiscated it and grabbed a white rock that was embedded within it. Travis examined this rock closely and grinned, while the sword seemed to lose whatever energy and color it had.

Travis took a deep breath in exhaustion, "Finally..." Then, he asked the duo, "How did you both get here anyway?"

Professor Layton ignored this question, as he was staring at horror at the spirit's mutilated form. He walked slowly toward her and kneeled next to her. This shattered spirit reached out, as if to embrace Layton, and he touched her ghostly cold hand in turn.

Luke watched in silence, while Travis just shook his head and left, "Whatever..." Travis was finally in possession of the stone that he was after anyway.

Layton muttered one word softly, as if he was about to cry, "Claire..."

This 'snow angel' spirit looked just like Claire's soul, only that it was shattered and mutilated by Travis!

**This was probably the longest chapter that I have ever typed in one day... Just so you know, my college classes will start again soon, and I just got Pokemon White 2 for the DS, so I might not be updating this fic for a while. As always, feel free to review!**


	30. Everything Just Went Nuts

Everything was in pure silence but the snowfall sprinkling on the ground... Professor Layton was on his knees in the snow and staring in pure unadulterated horror at the mutilated ghost lying in front of him. It was Claire's spirit, or at least what's left of it! But how could that be possible?

The professor was completely consumed in his own horrifying thoughts... "_This is not possible! This is simply... not... __**possible!**__ She died in London, over a decade ago! How could this be her spirit, and why __**here**__, of all places in a different dimension, and in America no less? And the snowfall that surrounds this very room... A snow... angel? Why... so cold... I've become so cold inside. But this could not be a trick either... Few in America would know about my past, and fewer still could create this sort of fantasy... Then, this is real? But what if this is some post-mortem curse laid upon me by these other spirits __**for their own amusement?**__ Then, this is not real? Real... Not real... Real... Not real... Discover the truth... The truly truthy truth... Truthy truthy... She's fading away again... So cold when she leaves... Need warmth... Shed the warmth of truth on the coldness of all the lies... Lies... Lies... Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, __**LIES, LIES, LIIIIIIIEEEEEESSSSSSSS! HEEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEE EEEEEEE!**__"_

The professor's faithful apprentice, Luke had a similar look of horror on his face. He watched helplessly as the professor was slowly losing all trace of his sanity! Luke felt too mortified to say or do anything, other than barely hold back a blood-curling scream! The professor's demented face and mannerisms had completely burned a terrifying image in the young apprentice's mind... The professor's eye was twitching, but had lost all other sense of emotion aside from that. His face appeared very sweaty despite the snow.

Luke did his best to regain his composure and reach out to touch the professor's shoulder, "Professah?"

As soon as Luke touched his shoulder, the professor's whole body twitched almost sporadically, and then had become very calm all of a sudden. Now, the professor's voice had gained some enthusiasm, "I believe I have the answer to this puzzle."

Luke's face turned to shock, "P-puzzle? What are you talking about?"

The professor's was speaking extremely fast, and completely monotone, "Energyistheanswertheanswerto alllifematterandtheuniversea llthingslivinganddeadhaveene rgyenergyisforeverforeverand everandever..."

Luke was shivering in fear for the professor, "Have you gone mad?"

The professor did not respond, and instead pulled out the silver vial that he found in the 'Necronomicon' book from earlier. He opened the vial and used it to contain the remains of the fading spirit in front of him. Once he had all of the spirit's remains collected in the vial, he turned to Luke with a twitching smile on his face, "Every puzzle has an answer."

Luke just shook his head in confusion, "Professah?"

The professor gripped the spirit-contained vial with both hands and **stabbed himself through his heart with it!**

Luke screamed, "**Professah!**"

Luke grabbed hold of the professor, as if it was a natural reflex. The professor's face now looks completely demented all over again, "Don't you see? People are energy... Spirits... are... energy..."

The professor's skin started to turn pale, and his body rapidly decayed. Luke could see the veins from beneath the wrinkling skin of his hands and face. And then...

**Professor Layton laughed... A laugh louder than any ever heard before... or since.**

Luke lost his grip on the professor and he collapsed onto the snow in a fit of hysteria, while his body continued to decay. His laughs slowly grew quieter over time, until seemingly drifted to sleep... The professor's body looked cold and dead...

Luke kneeled down upon the professor with a feeling of pity for him, "Professah..."

Luke then picked up the professor on his shoulders, not knowing if he was even alive, and resolved to take him to a hospital... or several...

()

Meanwhile, Travis had nearly left the spiritual portal triumphantly with the 'White Atlamillia' stone. He would be back in the basement of the snow tower. He stopped for a moment and took notice of the professor's contraption in the room, with a great hole in the ceiling.

"Did this place get bombed while I was gone?"

Travis didn't pay a second thought about it, as he had a very long day. He needed to get back to the city and get some sleep in a bush or something... He could mail the stone tomorrow. Travis stretched his arms out and yawned, before leaving the spiritual realm. When he returned to the basement of the snow tower, he noticed the big hole in the ceiling in this room too.

It was already getting dark outside, "You'd think there be some police here or something..."

Travis began to climb through the big hole above him until he heard a creepy, yet pleasant voice, "I can't tell you how pleased I am with you, Travis. I simply can't find the words..."

Travis turned around on a dime and saw a young man with short, blond hair and glasses that seemed to exemplify his piercing silver eyes. He wore a red tuxedo with a black tie and was holding a red and black checkerboard suitcase, "Uh... Hi?"

The strange man continued to praise Travis, "My dear Travis... Your labors shall be recorded in history forever..."

Travis began to think that this guy was suspicious, "Seriously, what's your deal! How do you know my... Wait... Your '**Dear**' Travis? Are you on the pipe?"

"My apologies to you... I was so overcome with joy that I had forgotten... that we had never actually met in person... I am the man who sought your service regarding the White Atlamillia, and I can see that you performed your task quite admirably."

Travis scratched his head with one hand while holding the white stone in his possession with the other, 'You're the 'Silver' guy that hired me? So you're here to pay me?"

Silver nodded in approval and opened his suitcase, revealing a lot of money, "I am, upon receipt of the stone."

Travis knew that something was shady... It had to be, the way that Silver could recognize him without even meeting in person. Still, he already dealt with worse, and this Silver guy was alone. What more could happen anyway?

(I just **know** that there are readers thinking 'schmuck bait' right about now.)

Travis tossed the White Atlamillia in Silver hand, and Silver gazed upon it with a look of glee on his face. Silver approached Travis with the suitcase, "Very exquisite, despite it becoming... defective..."

Travis was confused, "Defective?"

Silver nodded, "I'm afraid it's quite true, Travis. I don't mean to sound ungrateful to you, but it would seem that the Snow Angel had completely blinded my once faithful Atlamillia."

Travis had a bad feeling about this, "Snow Angel? Once faithful Atlamillia? Seriously, what giv..."

Before Travis could finish, Silver twisted his wrist and released what appeared to be black snakes from his sleeve. The black snakes slithered quickly across the ground toward both the left and right sides of Travis and tied themselves to his arms and legs and restrained him! This had caused Travis to lose his balance and fall to the floor.

Silver slowly approached Travis and pulled a small needle from his coat pocket, "I **am** sorry to do this, but my research cannot begin without your undying support... The stone can no longer see the truth, and for that, I need your aid to let it see once more..."

Travis struggled to untangle himself, "What the hell is this?!"

Silver kneeled toward Travis and readied his needle in his hand, "The eye of a hunter..."

Without further warning, Silver stuck the needle **right through Travis's left eye!** Travis screamed in pain, while Silver twisted the needle slightly, and finally plucked Travis's eye out of his left socket!

Travis helpless gritted his teeth in pain, while blood drenched his cheek. Silver carefully stuck the optic nerve of Travis's eye onto the White Atlamillia with the iris facing outward, and allowed the blood to slowly soak the stone.

Travis watched Silver do this, and for once, had a look of horror on his face which broke his outward sense of arrogance. Once Silver was finished, he picked up the suitcase of money, and placed it right next to Travis, seemingly as a token of his gratitude.

Travis thought to himself, "_This freak just stole my eye, and he's still paying me? Is this some kind of sick joke?"_

Silver began to leave the basement, but turned to Travis for one more moment, "Honesty is truly the greatest policy, and your payment is well-earned."

With that, Silver left through the elevator of the snow tower, leaving Travis tangled in these 'snakes' and leaving him for dead...

**Well, I've finally finished this chapter! It took me a while, with my new semester of college and my new games. By the way, I added a sentence in this story which is a sort of tribute to the ending of Apollo Justice, which is for the Nintendo DS. As always, feel free to review!**


	31. Legend of the Snow Angel

_**Thy suffering and thy guilt shalt not afflict those without purpose, for the deeds of the past dictate the deeds of the future. Hardships grant strength to those who rise above them, for when thy bones break, do they not heal, and when thy hearts are broken, do they not be mended? If thy brother's back is overburdened by labor, then thou is compelled to give thy back, and if thy beloved's soul is made frozen by sadness, then thou is compelled to give thy soul in turn.**_

_**- Wings of Snow  
Mathias 10:29**_

The concept of death is truly an enigma... All living things endure it when their time comes and most living things fear it, and yet nobody truly understands the concept of death. One of the most commonly believed tales of life after death stems from Christian mythology, and it suggests that the good and righteous ascend into the sky, far above the clouds towards a place only known as 'heaven', while the truly despicable are forced to endure a fiery torment known as 'hell'. As it would turn out, the truth about death is neither of these. At least, it wasn't for one soul in particular...

A soul filled with tender compassion and unbreakable resolve had not been given the 'heaven' that the popular myth would promise her. Far from it, her afterlife was a nightmare, but not the 'fire-and-brimstone' hell that is featured in Christian mythology. The hell she experienced after her death was a cold one, filled with other souls that experience nothing other than immense sadness, guilt, or anger. Her afterlife was a snowy and barren wasteland...

Although her own guilt had never fully overtaken her the same way that many of her fellow souls around her had succumbed, she was constantly haunted by it. The guilt of having caused the premature deaths of many innocent people, herself included, in a horrible accident and all for the name of 'science'. Even in death, she had never found respite from such sadness...

She remained in her afterlife for what seemed like an eternity, and she thought that she would remain there forever. But it would seem that her untimely and tragic death was only the beginning... For as she remained within this different reality, she would find that the dead would not be the only ones within this place. On occasion, souls filled with warmth and wonder would enter this forsaken hell. These warm souls are of tremendous contrast to the cold and broken souls that were sent here. These warmer souls were hopeful for their future and their demeanor would show it. There is only one word that could describe these warmer souls: life.

Living people would sometimes explore this afterlife for various reasons, but all people would encounter the same thing when they do: hostility. Nearly all of the cold spirits of the dead that reside there show tremendous hostility to any living beings that intrude their hell and use their spiritual energy to inflict pain upon any and all intruders. Some say that they do this out of jealousy towards the living, as they are a reminder of what was cruelly taken from them. Others say that these cold souls are under the delusion that taking the lives of others would grant them the life that they once had. And others believe that these souls are no more than savage beasts and have gone mad from their condemnation.

Regardless of the reasons, the lone spirit had retained all of her compassion and resolve even after death, and would do all she could to deter any living outsiders and contain the wrath of the other dead around her. As she did this, the living people that saw her had regarded her as different from any other souls told in any old ghost story. Over the years, more and more people had encountered this compassionate soul and returned to their lives to tell their tale. As time passed, these encounters have begun to be more accepted as the truth, and the story of the one compassionate soul surrounded by the coldness of sadness and death had become a local legend. She had become known by the living as the 'Snow Angel'. The myth surrounding this mysterious spirit had attracted many tourists and had even started a religion called the 'Wings of Snow' which depicted her as a messiah. In fact, the verse at the top of this chapter comes from their own bible!

And this soul had indeed tried to deter the fearless and cocky supernatural hunter and literal animal, Travis, as she had deterred many other before. But Travis would not relent, and in his quest to claim a white stone, which resonated unmatchable spiritual energy, he had destroyed and shattered many of the sad souls that resided there. She feared what chaos would affect the world of the living if the stone were to leave this deathly realm, so she engaged in battle with Travis herself in a desperate attempt to protect the world of the living from the same chaos that ravages her afterlife. As for how she had acquired this white stone to begin with, that is a tale for another chapter...

Even as she faced Travis in battle, she held back her own formidable spiritual power from killing him, as the last thing she wanted to feel guilty for was another death. This battle was detailed several chapters ago, and she read Travis's actions and reflexes well, never having been struck from a single blow. This endurance would not last, however, as even though the dead do not tire as the living do, they can still lose focus and become distracted. In the end, this was a flaw that would lead to the destruction of her own soul, as she saw the figure of a man in an elegant brown coat wearing his signature top hat. The top hat was the most significant part of the man's clothing, as it instantly brought back memories of her life, before she was consumed by guilt. It was a happier time, filled with hope for the future, when she had given that same hat as a gift to her beloved mere hours before her untimely death!

Her thoughts were completed consumed over the gentleman she loved in her life and the pain she caused him when she finally accepted her death. This was what distracted her from the fact that she was still **in the middle of battle**, and what led to her very soul being shattered by Travis's spirit-destroying blades. The last thing that she remember as her soul started to fade was her beloved gentleman kneeling down before her now mutilated soul before everything turned black once again, as it did during her death.

When the energy of a soul is shattered and fades away, that soul is gone **forever**. There is no life, no afterlife, and no memories. Everything would become nothing, like an infinite void. But as you may have read last chapter, this same gentleman kneeling before her contained the remains of her soul in a vial designed for carrying spiritual energy and forced her soul within his own body before it completely faded. The true purpose of these vials were not yet known, but that did not matter now. Since the bodies of the living and the spirits of the dead share the same energy, the fact that her shattered soul had been forced within a living body had caused her soul to feed off of his energy and life to restore itself. This can be described as similar as the way a dry sponge absorbs water into itself to become damp. The dead spirit would be restored, but the living body would decay. And so the legend of the 'Snow Angel' had come to its conclusion, but as the popular Wings of Snow saying would go, 'Old endings bring out new beginnings.' This trilogy is far from over...

The legend of the 'Snow Gentleman' had just begun...

**I didn't copy that verse anywhere, I swear! I made the whole thing up from the top of my head! Like all the recent chapters, this one took me a while to finish, with college and the new video games to tend to, but I finally did it! As always, feel free to review!**


	32. Orientation

_**When the eyes of many look within a mirror , they believe they look upon their true selves. There is no truth to this, for a person's true self is the soul, and it cannot be seen. Thy reflection is merely the shell, and it is truly the greatest of all lies, for all to see.**_

_**- Wings of Snow  
Mathias 14:2**_

The legend of the Snow Gentleman begins outside of the physical world, where no living eyes may see. The Snow Angel's soul had been restored with the life of a true gentleman's body, and now his body had begun to decay in her place. Her spirit regained its consciousness and she was in what appeared to be a empty room which was almost completely pitch-black inside and it was impossible to see. I am stating '**almost** completely pitch-black' because the only thing that was visible within the darkness was an uninteresting looking wooden door. At this point, most people would question why they are in total darkness with the exception of a wooden door, but this spirit in question had long since become accustomed to the oddities of her life and death, so she just went with it without a word.

Her ethereal form floated across the seemingly endless void around her and approached this 'door'. Upon closer examination, she could see that the wooden door was constructed entirely of wooden **puzzle pieces**. After a slight pause, she grasped the knob and opened this 'door', and the first thing that she saw behind the door was what looked like a dark brown colored wooden table made of puzzle pieces, and it was positioned **vertically sideways with its wooden legs on a wall**. There was an assortment of supplies on top of and next to the wooden puzzle piece table, which include two comfortable chairs, a tea cup, feathers and a puzzle piece-shaped cup of ink, and pieces of paper. There was also a simple dark-green rug made right behind the table. They were all vertically sideways on the wall with the table and they were all made of puzzle pieces.

At this point, one would get the impression that the room itself was not sideways, but the **floating spirit** is. Upon entering the room, she could see the other walls of the room. The room itself had a very old-fashioned charm to it, but was also very odd. There was a constantly orbiting globe on top of a wall positioned horizontally **on the wall** left of the table and a chandelier on the wall opposite of the globe and on the wall to the right of the table. They were also made of puzzle pieces, and I apologize ahead of time if you're confused as hell right about now...

Finally, directly below her was a tall man wearing a full business suit and had short, puffy hair with the left half of it in a light brown color while the right half was completely white. Another important feature about him is that he was **not** made of puzzle pieces. He appeared to be pouring himself a cup of tea.

The man noticed her presence in the 'room' without even having to look upward at her, "Ah, you have exceptional timing! I had just finished pouring us tea."

The 'snow angel' spirit recognized his voice immediately, "_Hershel?! I-is that really you?!"_

The oddly-haired man looked up to face her. His face **looked exactly** like Professor Layton's face, including his disproportionately small eyes, and his voice was also exactly the same, "Well, my lady, that depends on the way you perceive the puzzles around you to be, and you are the only one who can find those answers for yourself."

The spirit's voice sounded frustrated, "_What? I don't understand... Y-you look just like Hershel! Except..."_

The strange man tried to calm her down, "There there... All will be revealed in time... Why, you just got here." The strange man pointed at one of the sideways chairs, "Why don't you have a seat and relax? We have so much work to do and I've prepared a warm cup of tea for you." The strange man walked toward the wall that the desk was attached to and literally **walked on the wall** to sit down... or sit sideways... or... something...

The lone spirit complied, and shifted herself sideways to 'sit' on the other chair. Now the door that she came in from was above her, the globe was to her left, and the chandelier was to the her right. The strange man handed her an **upside-down cup**, and she held the cup above her out of curiosity and saw that the tea was indeed somehow still in the cup! The strange man was holding a similar upside-down cup and put the top of the cup (if it were downside-up) underneath his bottom lip and moved the bottom of the cup closer to his nose to drink the tea. She attempted to do the same, but had difficulty handling an inverted cup. It slipped out of her hands and fell **above** her and hit the wooden puzzle piece door. The impact was so hard, that a few pieces snapped off of the door along with the cup and kept falling upward into the black void...

The strange man had an unimpressed demeanor while staring at the puzzle piece shaped hole in the door, "Oh dear..."

The spirit was a bit embarrassed, "_Oh! My word... I'm..."_

The strange man reassured her, "That's quite all right. I'll have maintenance take care of it later. Now then..." He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out several pieces of paper cut out into varying shapes and sizes and assembled them together to form several whole pieces of paper. Then, he pulled out two monocles and placed them over both of his eyes, as if they were reading glasses.

He cleared his throat in a second, "For most of your puzzles to be answered properly and without merely giving you more puzzles to find answers for, you will need to go through the proper channels."

The strange man turned all of the pieces of paper around so that the so-called 'snow angel' spirit can read it, "Please observe all of the rules and procedures and write in answers for all applicable fields."

The spirit actually looked slightly annoyed and had a dull and bored expression on her transparent face, "_Forgive me, but ever since I lost my life in that time travelling accident, the last thing I ever expected to do was fill out __**paperwork**__."_

The strange man attempted to help, "Perhaps I may be of assistance..." He pointed to various parts of the paperwork, "Write the name that you wish to be addressed here... and here... and here... Initials here... and here... Solve this puzzle here... Date of death here... Signature logo here... Write your own puzzle here... Its answer here... Picarat score here... And signature here."

The spirit sighed in compliance, "_Oh all right..._" She picked up the jagged, puzzle piece feather, dipped it in the ink, and filled out most of the papers without a problem, but stopped when she was at the 'signature logo' portion.

The strange man noticed right away, "Perhaps you need a visual example..." He opened another drawer and pulled out another piece of paper with a brown top hat depicted on it with a cursive capital 'L' drawn in it.

Instantly, the spirit gasped in response to the sight of this logo, since it reminded her of her former life.

The strange man noticed this as well, "Is something the matter?"

"_Ah... N-no... Nothing's wrong."_

She pondered what logo that would represent her for a moment, and decided upon a old-fashioned clock with icicles forming from the hands and a feathered wing overlapping the up-left most corner of the clock.

She then muttered to herself, "_Puzzle... puzzle..._" It didn't take long to think up one. It involved the schedules of trains and when they would leave and what time they would arrive in various time zones. After filling out the puzzle and its answer, she stopped at the picarat section.

She moved her head closer to the word and squinted her eyes, "_What the bloody hell is a picarat?_"

"It is a sort of 'score' given to those who complete a puzzle successfully. Typically, more difficult puzzles yield more points, or 'picarats' as it were."

"_Ah, all right then. How about... two hundred and fifty._"

**INCORRECT**

The strange man's eyes widened with shock upon hearing the absurd number of picarats for a very simple puzzle.

She noticed his expression, but did not fully understand her error, "_Too low? What about six hundred and fifty?_"

**INCORRECT**

Now the man placed his hand on his head in disgust... Before she could write it, the man snatched that slip of paper, "Perhaps... **I** should fill that part out."

All that was left was the signature for how she would be addressed. When she was done, the strange man grabbed each piece of paper and reassembled them on his side, so that he could read it.

The first thing that came to his attention was the name she filled out, 'Snow Angel', "I don't mean to pry, but weren't you given a name in your life?"

The spirit's face turned gloomy, "_Yes, once... But... I'm not comfortable using it ever since my death. It's a tragic reminder of something I simply wish to forget. And, I know that there are living people that look up to me, even admire me, as I am now. It's just better to leave the past behind."_

The strange man complied, "I suppose we may overlook this part... "

He scattered all of the various pieces of paper into a pile and placed them into an envelope, with the same 'top hat with L' logo on it that the spirit saw earlier.

Then, he got out of his chair and started walking up on the wall and then on top of the 'ceiling' where the door was, "Your orientation is finished, so now we must be on our way."

The spirit was confused, "_I just came through that door. There's nothing behind it. It's literally a void!_"

The strange man chuckled and opened the door, "Is it now?"

There was not a void across the room (or above it, depending on either perspective), but in fact there was what appeared to be an entire **railroad station**! Much like the door and room before it, literally everything that isn't a 'person' such as the railroad tracks, the train, the benches, the clocks, the lights, and even the **smoke** coming from the train were made entirely of puzzle pieces!

The strange man held out his hand invitingly, "Well, shall we?"

The spirit had a blank look on her face, as if she had simply given up on any kind of logic at this point and took his hand. One of the puzzle piece trains nearby were stopping right next to the 'office' that the duo had just left from, and the train door opened. Two more people came out of the train. One of them looked **just like** Professor Layton, except he was wearing the clothing more suited for a train conductor, such as a much shorter hat and overalls, and he also had a large mustache across his face He was also holding a tea cup that looked exactly identical to the one that fell into the 'void' earlier. The other man also looked just like Professor Layton, except he was wearing very simple clothing and a construction worker's hat, and was carrying several large wooden puzzle pieces with varying sizes in his hands.

The 'snow angel' was astonished beyond belief, "_**More Hershels**__?!_"

The 'dual-colored hair Layton' was the first to respond, "Ah, very good! Once again, your timing is impeccable!"

The 'train conductor Layton's' voice (which should not shock anyone) also sounded just like Layton's, "Thank you, my good man. Here is the new replacement." The conductor handed the strange man the tea cup.

The 'construction worker Layton's' voice sounded similar to the others', but had a more Western accent to it, "My employer and I have received your message. May I begin repairs?"

The strange man nodded, "You may."

The construction worker carefully measured the puzzle piece shaped hole in the door to fit the replacement piece in the door.

While he was doing this, the conductor offered to give the spirit a ride on the train, "We will be departing very soon. Would the young spirit lady care to join us?"

She chuckled, "I don't see why not. I'm not entirely sure what else to do here."

Her ethereal form floated in the train and in the gaze of all of its passengers. **Every** single person within the train resembled Professor Layton and there were at least twenty people!

The very first thing to come out of every single passenger at once was a synchronized, "**You remind me of a puzzle!**"

The spirit's face twitched for a moment, and then recollected herself and chose an empty seat next to two very young passengers to 'sit' on. One of them wore a blue cap and white overalls, and looked very much like Luke Triton when he was solving the mystery of the 'Last Specter', except that his fact looked like Layton's. The other one also wore a blue cap, but had a blue shirt instead, and looked very much like Luke Triton from the first trilogy of games, but also had Layton's facial features.

The older 'first-generation Luke-Layton' was the first to start a conversation and had Luke's voice, "Excuse me miss, but I've never seen you here before. Are you new here?"

She nodded, "_In a matter of speaking, yes._"

The conductor's voice was loud enough for all of the passengers to hear, yet modest enough to not sound like yelling "All aboard the Gentle Express!"

The train doors shut and the train was in motion. In the seat adjacent to the spirit's seat and the two 'Luke-Laytons' were two **more** Laytons. One was distinctly female and wore a brown coat and had short, but wavy hair and a small brown hat. Basically, she looks like a 'gender-bent Layton'. The other Layton was basically a child version, and was roughly three feet tall and was wearing a brown sweater with a puzzle piece sewn in it.

The 'child Layton' tugged on the 'gender-bent Layton's' coat and had a squeaky British voice, "Mother? May I have some sweets for the ride?"

The mother closed her eyes and wagged her finger, "Now, Hershey... It would not be good for you to spoil your supper..."

The child Layton closed his fist and shook it, "This shall **not** be the end, Mother..."

The spirit still wanted to know something, "_Where exactly are we headed?"_

The 'second-gen Luke-Layton' had a very goofy grin, "Only the most **amazing** place imaginable!"

The first-gen Luke-Layton put it in a more simple statement, "Little London, capital of the temporal lobe!"

In life, the spirit was very intelligent, and knew that the temporal lobe was a portion of a person's brain, "_Temporal lobe? Then, that means... I'm within Hershel's __**mind**__!_"

**This is probably the biggest 'mind-fuck' of a chapter that I have ever typed! Oh, and please don't actually use the word "mind-fuck" if you review, since I have a language filter turned on. I do love reading people's humorous comments though...  
**


	33. Welcome To Little London

The rest of the passengers just silently stared at the lone spirit after her revelation at the end of the last chapter. She must have sensed this immediately since she silently visually scanned the room with her glowing-blue eyes and expected some kind of response, but there were none directed toward her.

Instead, the other 'Laytons' whispered amongst themselves,

"Within **who's** mind?" "I think she said 'Hershey's'." "Hersheys? I love chocolate!" "I told you: no sweets before supper." "Puzzles are **sweet**, maaaaaaaaan..." "Puzzle, **WHERE?!**" "I'm so **booooooored**..." "This train smells odd." "Mama, I wanna dwive the twain!"

As there was no real coherent response to her, the lone spirit simply shook her head and sighed. Her attention was now outside the train's window. The 'outside' in Professor Layton's mind is much different from the living world. Within a person's mind, anything that is imaginable could be associated to that person in some way. That would explain why nearly everything is shaped from puzzle pieces, as the professor had loved puzzles for a very long time.

The grass along the ground were in varying shades of green and the sky was a flurry of many different colors, like a rainbow. The clouds in the sky had extremely creepy faces on them, which was reminiscent of the clouds found in the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as various marijuana fantasies. Across the horizon was the train's destination which was deep within the most vital portion of Professor Layton's mind: the temporal lobe. The temporal lobe was where visual memories, extrasensory, comprehending language, general knowledge, and emotions are stored. The destination was the 'capital' of this lobe and the very core of all of Professor Layton's memories, knowledge, and emotions: 'Little London'.

This 'Little London' is heavily based off of its hand-held counterpart which was featured as a separate adventure in any non-European translation of the professor's fourth game (and first chronological adventure), "Professor Layton and the Last Specter" (**AVAILABLE IN STORES NOW!**). Since any events that took place in this separate adventure were not entirely faithful to the Professor's official adventures, it is possible that both 'Little Londons' within the fourth game and within the professor's mind are both one and the same: a figment of his own imagination!

The conductor Layton's voice could be heard from the front of the train, "We shall be arriving at the Central Station in less than five minutes! Please gather all of your belongings and prepare for departure!"

"_Well, that was fast..._"

A small toddler approached the lone spirit's seat and looked up to her. He wore a miniature version of Professor Layton's clothing and had big, round, black eyes, "Hewwo..."

The lone spirit couldn't help but chuckle at the adorable gentleman, "_Aren't you simply strapping?_"

The little toddler reached out to grab the spirit's hand, but his hand went right **through** her hand instead, "Yow reawwy cold..."

The lone spirit's expression turned grim immediately, "_That's normal for someone that's dead..._"

The toddler looked really confused, "What is 'deed'? Is it a cowor?"

The lone spirit chuckled again, but still had a sense of dread, "_You'll understand when you're older._"

As this point, the toddler just kept rambling, "I can see my face. Youw like a miwwor. Why?"

"_Oh... Well, I'm not entirely sure of that._"

"Why awen't you entiwewy suwe?"

"_I don't know._"

"Why don't you know?"

"_I... uh... I don't know..._"

"Why?"

At this point, the lone spirit demeanor turned into a very bored expression. It was very clear that this would be a very long 'five minutes', as they were spent with a toddler pestering a spirit with an myriad of ridiculous questions.

"How come I haff five fingers on my hand?"

"Why is a twain called a 'twain'?"

"Why do cwouds smile at me?"

"What do piwwows taste wike?"

"Why are vegdaboos yucky?"

"If I stwetch my face, will it get stuck?"

"Why does evewyone get weminded of puzzles?"

And so on, and so on, and so on...

To every question this toddler asks, the lone spirit gives an identical response in the most bored and annoyed tone imaginable, "_I don't know..._"

When the train reached its destination, an audible bell noise was heard from the train, signaling the end of the ride. The lone spirit had sighed in relief, and quickly exited the train as quickly as possible. The toddler was staring dumbfounded for a moment, and walked toward the train conductor's seat and started asking him questions...

Upon exiting the train, the lone spirit could finally catch a moment to understand her surroundings. Everything looked pixilated and 8-bit, like this whole town was in a video game! Even the train that was once made of puzzle pieces now looks pixilated! From the lone spirit's perspective, everything and everyone looked like a collection of squares. To help readers understand, it was like Professor Layton meets Minecraft.

The lone spirit was greeted very quickly by a loud, booming voice, "Ow, ow! Welcome to Little London! Whoooo!"

The man had brown, puffy hair, sunglasses, and blue clothing with a blue hat. The hat he wears gives the illusion that he is very tall, even though he's actually quite short.

"If you wanna make it in this town, you gotta listen to what folks have to say."

At this point, the lone spirit is **still** just going with it, "_Alright..._"

"Especially if you see a "!" over their heads! Then it's time to listen HARD!"

"_See an exclamation point over their heads? Did you actually just say that, or am I..? Oh, never mind... Nothing here makes any sense anyway..."_

The lone spirit drifted herself away from the train and toward the exit of this 'Central Station'. There were several other people here and they were mostly staff members of the station. There was also a large, intimidating plant in the center of the room and many benches surrounding the room. It was odd that she was the only 'dead' person here, especially since nobody else seems to notice or care about the fact that she's a ghost.

One of the staff members took notice of her, "Welcome to Central Station. The train here now, the Gentle Express, is the finest luxury passenger train there is. It wasn't always like that, though. That distinction used to be held by the Molentary Express before it fell into disrepair. When it was functioning, it used to be known as the "cruise ship on rails.""

The lone spirit's eyelid rose, wondering why anybody would care about that kind of information, and then left without a word...

Upon leaving the Central Station, she already noticed a short man with an "!" over his head to her left. (No, **seriously**...) He had brown hair nearly covering his eyes and a thick mustache and he wore blue overalls over a red shirt. Not knowing what to expect, she approached this '"!" man'...

"Keh heh heh! New face in town, eh?"

The lone spirit thought to herself, "_Well, this had already become creepy..._"

The strange man had a creepy smile on his face, "Nice to meet you, Snow Angel. Hmph... Snow Angel? Is that really right?"

The lone spirit put her finger over her ethereal chin in embarrassment, "_Yes, actually. It is..._"

This was getting awkward for both parties, "Well, if that's your name... Ahem... ANYYY-WHOOOO... You're the one who got picked up by the train with all the Laytons... If you want to know EXACTLY what you need to do, head to the center of town where one of these 'Laytons' with checkerboard colored clothing on and talk to him. He'll tell you all you need to know. He's been waiting for you for a while... You should get going."

The lone spirit found this guy suspicious, "_Wait, __**how**__ do you know who I am and..._"

Before she could finish, the man interrupted her, "Why do I know about you, you ask? Keh heh heh heh... I know all sorts of things! It's kind of what I do! I also know how to save your game."

Now the lone spirit was slightly unnerved, "_Save my game? What game? Where am I?!_"

"Easy, easy... Just press the X button to open the menu, then select Save to save your progress so far."

The lone spirit stared at the man dumbfounded, "_X button? There's no... I don't want to do this any longer..."_

As the lone spirit began to leave, the man shouted at her, "If you're going to understand what you're here for, you have to at least learn to save. Keh heh heh..."

The lone spirit tried once again to rationalize everything that's going on, "_All right... After I passed away, Hershel ... um... injected therapeutic mind-altering drugs to cope with his loss! That explains everything!_"

Instantly after suggesting that theory to herself, she had immediately become horrified, "_My word... What am I saying?! Hershel would __**never**__ stoop that low, right? Right..?_"

**I was having a serious brain-block with this chapter and basically just copied a lot of stuff from the 'London Life' minigame... I hope this is still enjoyable to read, so feel free to review!**


	34. Keepers of Knowledge

The lone spirit quietly floated to the very center of the town in the Planket Street Central road and facing south. Many of the other citizens of this town were very quirky and unusual. One of them had a very rotund build and a cap over his head and was so full of rage that his face had a red hue.

That man was to the right of the lone spirit and next to a white building known as 'Clement Boutique' and could be heard shouting at the top of his lungs, "What do ya MEAN I need 45 Formality to enter?! Oooooh... That really BURNS ME UP!"

On her left was a young lady with a hairdo shaped in a spiral and very small eyes which are similar to Professor Layton's. She was chasing a bee around a light pole while holding a flyswatter with the intent to smack it. The light pole had two signs on it that read "St. Claire's Street" and ""Planket Street". The lone spirit couldn't help but lightly chuckle to herself after reading the former, as it reminded her of her former identity.

A familiar gentlemanly voice could be heard singing a melody in the distance...

**"It's-a-my-ster-y-Don't-you-dis-a-gree-  
Un-wea-ving-ta-les-Sol-ving-these-puz-zles-**

**It's-a-my-ster-y-Calm-ly-sip-ping-tea-  
Sol-ving-with-pas-sion-Like-a-gen-tle-man-**

**How,plea,sur,a,ble-Crit,i,cal,think,ing  
The,key,to,suc,cess-This,is,true-**

**Keep,a,clear-mind-For,ev,ry,puz,zle  
Prof-fes,sor-Lay,ton..."**

(If you readers haven't already figured it out, this song is the puzzle theme from 'Professor Layton and the Curious Village', except that it has lyrics. Here's a YouTube link if you don't know or have forgotten what it sounds like!)

watch?v=x2nPysfmt0U

"_The checkerboard Layton... Is he here already?_"

The lone spirit didn't even need to make eye contact with him to know. These 'Laytons' have been extremely convenient so far, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that the one waiting for her just shows up out of nowhere at the precise moment that she arrives...

Aaaaand that's exactly what happened...

A 'Layton' wearing the signature coat and hat get-up had come right to the center of town in what looks like a dual-seat bicycle **without** any wheels attached to it. The bicycle is literally just floating off of the ground as if they **were** there. This 'Layton's' clothing had a red-and-white checkerboard pattern on them, instead of the pure brown you have come to know and love. Something of particular significance is the fact that he is not pixilated like everyone else is. The 'checker-board Layton' stopped his bicycle next to the lone spirit and squeezed the reed bulb horn on the handle of the 'bike'.

Since the lone spirit had already experienced enough violations of common sense, she just floated toward the other seat on the bike and 'sat' in it without a word.

The 'checker-board Layton' had a puzzled look on his face, "Excuse me, miss... Do I know you?"

"_I'm the one that's 'new in town', and I have understand that you're the one that's going to help me._"

The 'Layton' opened his coat pocket and examined a pocket watch in response, "Ah, good. You are right on time. Now, I must warn you... You may see things that are absolutely unimaginable during this trip. It's important that you keep a clear mind toward your surroundings and understand that everything is under control."

The lone spirit silently nodded.

The 'Layton' wasn't entirely convinced that she understood, "Is that a sign of approval? You may get slightly frightened during the trip."

And the lone spirit responded with the single... MOST... **IRRITATED...** expression imaginable, "_No, honestly I will __**not...**__ I had spent what was left of my former life watching a tower transform into a weapon that nearly __**destroyed**__ London. I was denied the so-called 'heaven' that at least several religions would suggest even __**existed**__. I spent what felt like an __**eternity**__ trapped with the other dead doing all I could to keep them from slaughtering anyone who was still alive. I was butchered by a __**talking animal**__ who simply had no compassion for any of the other dead. I saw, or imagined, Hershel just before everything faded to black. I had awoken within a seemingly endless __**void**__ and getting directions from all of you 'Hershel __**wannabes**__' for the past several __**hours**__... I had to sign paperwork that was cut into several pieces for seemingly no justifiable reason. I watched cups of tea fall __**above**__ me before my very eyes. A toddler wouldn't stop jabbing me with increasingly obtuse questions in a train made entirely from __**puzzle pieces**__. The clouds outside were __**smiling**__ at me. Nearly everyone and everything in this city looks like they came from a __**computer**__ game. And now, I'm on a bicycle that does not have any wheels, but is __**somehow**__ remaining above ground. So __**no**__... There is simply nothing in this __**GODDAMN ASYLUM**__... that could even __**remotely**__ astonish me!_"

The 'checker-board Layton's' mouth was wide open in shock and his whole body was vaguely shivering.

"_I... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to... I needed to vent... Please, I need help! What is this place?! Is this Hershel's mind or his memories? Am I in his subconscious, and so, why?_"

The 'Layton' tugged his hat over his eyes, as if he was depressed, "Very well... Your suspicions are correct. Everything you have observed here, from the puzzle pieces, the people, and the world around us, is indeed within the very subconscious of Professor Hershel Layton. And this town, this 'Little London', is merely a compilation of many of his disorganized memories in one place."

"_I thought so..._"

The 'Layton' had a much more serious tone of voice, "Would you be interested in seeing more of his memories and to learn of his life while you were gone?"

"_More than anything..._"

The 'checker-board Layton' began to ride the wheel-less bicycle **upward** into the sky (like that hasn't already been expected...). Their destination was not necessarily in the 'Little London' itself, but far above it. The lone spirit could look below her and see the other 'townsfolk' watching her ascend. Beyond the (probably drug-induced) smiling clouds, there was a plain, but large, brown building sitting on a piece of floating land. There were large, bronze letters which read 'Layton Archives' on the roof of the building.

As they were heading there, the 'Layton' started singing that quirky tune again,

**"It's-a-my-ster-y-Don't-you-dis-a-gree-  
Un-wea-ving-ta-les-Sol-ving-these-puz-zles-**

**It's-a-my-ster-y-Calm-ly-sip-ping-tea-  
Sol-ving-with-pas-sion-Like-a-gen-tle-man-**

**How,plea,sur,a,ble-Crit,i,cal,think,ing  
The,key,to,suc,cess-This,is,true-**

**Keep,a,clear-mind-For,ev,ry,puz,zle  
Prof-fes,sor-Lay,ton..."**

Upon reaching the building, the bicycle was 'parked' next to it. The 'Layton' led the lone spirit to the entrance and opened it for her, "Behold! This is the Layton Archives. Every adventure, character profile, art gallery, music track, and hidden door lies within these walls!"

The interior of the building was much more grand than the outside of the building would suggest. There were many metal walkways, security cameras, and computers. There were also what appeared to be British Royal guards, complete with matchlock rifles patrolling the interior of the building! It was more like a secret government base than a library.

The 'Layton' noticed the lone spirit's shock, "Professor Layton highly values knowledge and intellect. It is our responsibility to record and preserve any and all information that enters his mind!"

He led the lone spirit to the main archives, which was beyond a very sturdy door with a 'card key' slot on it. The slot had the words '20,000 Picarats' engraved above it.

"_There's that word again: 'Picarats'. Do I need to solve enough puzzles?_"

The man chuckled slightly, "While puzzles are always welcome, I already have clearance for this door."

The 'Layton's' card had '56,428' in digital number format, which indicated the current value of Picarats on the card. He inserted the card in the slot, which caused the door to open. There were two armed guards beyond the door, who remained silent and saluted him with the fingers of their right hand nearly touching their berets.

The man led the lone spirit to a couch that was next to a very large old-fashioned bookcase. The books in this bookcase were Professor Layton's past adventures, and were listed chronologically from earliest to latest. The man held his palm toward the bookcase in an inviting way, which suggests that the lone spirit may read one of the books.

She grabbed the left-most book in the shelf which was titled "Professor Layton and the Last Specter: Volume One". She also noticed that in between the complete volume sets titled "Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask" and "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" was a large, empty gap.

The 'checker-board Layton' was very embarrassed about this, "Yes, about that... Despite our best efforts to preserve this knowledge, books occasionally go missing. There are many books to keep track of here. Unfortunately, until these volumes are recovered, it is simply not possible for the public to read. I apologize, but an entire column of Professor Layton's adventures has gone missing..."

The lone spirit sat on the couch holding the book and read the first page aloud, "_This is a work of fiction. The characters, groups, and events portrayed within are in no way intended to resemble those of the real world._"

The lone spirit was completely dumbfounded, "_Hershel's adventures were a work of fiction?! That's not true... Oh, this is probably just a childish prank..._"

She turned the page and kept reading, "_Long ago, in a lawless age, a pack of bandits invaded a small village. Amidst the chaos, a terrified, young farm girl played her flute to drown out the madness. As the music spiraled high into the sky, a giant specter appeared above her. She begged the specter to destroy the bandits, and it swiftly obeyed. The town was saved, and the specter vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. But the farm girl knew that in times of danger, she needed only to play the flute and the specter would appear again._"

**I gave this chapter a sort of "Willy Wonka-ish" vibe to it, since it took place entirely within the Professor's sub consciousness. As always, feel free to review!**


	35. Journey to the Center of the Professor

The lone spirit sat alone within Professor Layton's consciousness for what seemed like a couple of hours and kept reading about each figment of his memories. The stories themselves weren't actually that long to the point that multiple volumes would be necessary. Most of the pages contained puzzles and riddles for the reader to solve. Each adventure had three volumes in them, and each volume had to have about fifty or so puzzles contained within each of them. In fact, the very first puzzle was introduced before the mystery was even fully explained, and just after he met his new assistant at the time. It involved a secret message in the form of a letter that was sent the professor.

The lone spirit even noticed that word again.., "_Picarats..._"

This first puzzle had a maximum score of only 10 picarats, and was not that difficult to solve. (If you hadn't already figured it out, this is the first puzzle in Last Specter.)

Whenever she finished one of the volumes, she would immediately go to the next one. Each time she opened a new volume, the first page contained the message, "_This is a work of fiction. The characters, groups, and events portrayed within are in no way intended to resemble those of the real world._"

Every time she saw those words, she had the same silent response of disbelief. After all, if his adventures never **really** happened, then how could this information even exist? These books are his own **memories**! How could the whole world know about the professor's adventures if they **never happened**? The message not only assumes that all of the professor's adventures were a work of fiction, but that the events **themselves** were also fiction!

To be fair, many of the things the lone spirit read about the professor's adventures, such as the gigantic robot trying to destroy Misthallery, or the Golden Garden being revealed during a sea creature's last living moments, were extremely bizarre and would most likely be inspired from the minds of puzzle masters...

"_Puzzle masters... Hershel..._"

The lone spirit was quick to deny the possibility of everything being a lie, and recalled his adventure involving the abduction of the prime minister and the underground city beneath London. She was actually there at the time! During her life, she **saw** those events with her own eyes!

"_If this was truly where Hershel's memories were, then..._"

The lone spirit searched for the professor's adventure that she was personally involved in. She figured that if these stories **are** just a work of fiction, she shouldn't be able to find it.

"_Professor Layton and the Curious Village... No, that's not it... Mask of Miracle... No... Maybe at the end there... Unwound Future... Eh? Unwound Future?! That must be the one!_ "

Like all of the other books, the first volume of Unwound Future had the same message, "_ This is a work of fiction. The characters, groups, and events portrayed within are in no way intended to resemble those of the real world._"

Now the lone spirit was flabbergasted beyond belief, "_This is not fiction! This... can't be..._"

The nearby guards and 'Laytons' noticed her sudden outburst and glanced at her briefly. Having been provoked enough, the lone spirit skimmed through the pages very quickly and noted some very specific scenarios within the book: his meeting with 'Future Luke' and his so-called visit to 'the future'. Both of these were of course revealed to be elaborate hoaxes, since Future Luke wasn't actually Luke Triton's future self and the future was just an underground city.

But, they still happened... The events that led the professor to uncover these hoaxes had happened... They couldn't just be **fiction**! She looked for any information on who made the book, but all she found was a logo on the bottom-right corner of the last page of the book titled "Level-5".

"_Level-5? Perhaps this means the fifth level of his mind... There must be a reason for this... For Hershel to think that this was all a lie..._"

The lone spirit grabbed the second and third volumes of the 'Unwound Future' set and skimmed through them both rapidly. She didn't want to admit it herself, but she already had a sinking feeling about why the professor could feel this way...

She looked for anything involving a horrible explosion or a great tragedy in his past. Perhaps Professor Layton didn't **want** to remember... It didn't take that long to find it, since most of the pages were just puzzles that tend to come out of nowhere and have nothing to do with his past. This page contained information of a mysterious woman.

"_She wore a simple blue coat and a white undershirt. Her white hat covered most of her hair and she had a striking resemblance to a very special person in Hershel Layton's past: his soul mate._"

The lone spirit couldn't help but smile after reading that. It was serene, but also bittersweet. The next noteworthy page worth mentioning was at the end of the second volume.

"_The mysterious woman from earlier admitted that she was Celeste, and she was Claire's sister. She wanted to solve the mystery behind her sister's death... Oh dear... I see where this is going..._"

The lone spirit opened the third volume and just skipped all the way to the end portion of it. She knew this wasn't going to end well...

"_In the end, after the Mobile Fortress was destroyed, Celeste revealed that she was really Claire. The time machine worked for a moment, but she was going to be pulled back to the explosion and die. That moment was one of the few that his gentlemanly upper lip had faltered completely. He would lose her all over again... Of course, he was heartbroken, but beneath the heartbreak was a sense of extreme bitterness and anger. She lied to him about her identity until the very end. She just used him to get what she wanted: keeping the flow of time linear. And then she left again..._"

The lone spirit's facial expression was very horrified, "_I... just used him..?_"

She turned the page and continued reading, "_This was the inner bitterness that comes from deception and Hershel Layton had never been a stranger to it. Most of the people that he trusted, or even loved, would deceive him for their own purposes or wants. Sometimes, there was a noble cause, but he would have still felt better if the truth came out from the beginning... He never caused an outburst about it, though... His soul mate instilled the mindset of a true gentleman within him, and he remained so... For better or worse... He just silent sobbed to himself, and kept all of the bitterness and heartbreak within, as he always did... That's what a true gentleman did... Endure... Nothing else..._"

The lone spirit's mouth dropped wide open, "_All he ever did... Endure? I know my death hurt him, but... Wait, he was 'never a stranger' to deception and bitterness. Who else hurt him like that?_"

The lone spirit instinctively turned back to the other books in Professor Layton's memories. She just finished the last volume of Last Specter, so she started on Eternal Diva now. Like the last books, these ones also have the "Level-5" logo on it. I won't bother to explain each of the books in too much detail, but she learned about a lot of Professor Layton's past and the people he met. She learned about a mysterious villain named Jean Descole lies and uses anyone he needs to so he can achieve his own ends. She learned about his best friend, Randall, and how he went missing for 18 years, and that his friend Angela had to lie to him about the Mask of Chaos. She learned about a young lady named Sophia Anderson lying to a man named Anton Herzen about why he left him for 50 years, when she could have just told him why immediately and spared him. And... She already knew about how the British government covered up the accident that cost him his beloved's life...

The lone spirit threw the book in frustration, "_I can't read this anymore!_"

She left quickly, and tried to find the strange 'checker-board Layton' that brought her here. It didn't take long, since he was just standing right outside of the entrance of the library. When he saw her, he checked his pocket watch exactly like he did last chapter, " Ah, good. You are right on time. Did you find what you were looking for?"

The lone spirit just frowned and hung her head in shame and total silence, which the strange Layton picked up on right away, "Are you all right?"

"_Can I help him?_"

"Help... him? Who?"

"_Hershel... This is his mind, isn't it? Can I help him?_"

"To be honest, I do not know... But, I still have so much to show you, so it must wait! Come with me... The sound recording room is our next destination.", he pointed toward a nearby room, "It is that way."

The lone spirit just shook her head in silence, as she was once again being led around... The sound recording room had a large amount of speakers and recording equipment in it. The equipment also had the "Level-5" logo on it, like the books did. There were also a lot of "Professor Laytons" in their usual brown clothing lined up in an organized fashion holding musical instruments, such as accordions, flutes, xylophones, a piano, harps, and clarinets. There was another 'Layton' wearing a maestro's outfit and holding a baton. They were clearly about to perform a song.

watch?v=u3ak_il8E8E

The 'checker-board Layton' chuckled, "Quite catchy, isn't it? This is Professor Layton's theme song..."

"_He has his own song? That's just adorable! Erm... But, why are we here?_"

He shrugged, "No real reason, actually... It's just a catchy tune to hear! Now, then... Our **true** destination, the most important part of any person: his heart."

He opened another door from the sound recording room that literally contained nothing but clouds and orange light in it. When I type literally, I mean that there's no floor either. It's another void, but not completely black like last time.

The 'checker-board Layton' tipped his hat before jumping right out of the room and down the orange, cloudy void. The lone spirit just shrugged her arms, and jumped after him without delay. After all, there was no need to fear heights since she was already dead.

While she was falling, the only thing she could see were the clouds that were all around her. Upon further inspection (at least, as much as possible since she was falling), the clouds had the same odd **faces** on them like last time. She ignored them and just kept falling for what seemed like about ten minutes straight!

She ended up landing right in 'an absolutely convenient and in no way possible in either real life or in Professor Layton's universe' bed. The only kind of deus ex machina that could be possible would be literally inside someone's mind... Not that she really needed it, since ghosts can't feel physical pain from such basic forms of injury, as well as hover enough so that she could slow her fall enough anyway.

The bed was mostly for her tour guide, who undoubtedly thinks this crap up as he goes on... No, really... In fact, her tour guide was waiting for her again, and held his pocket watch again, " Ah, good. You are right on time."

As for where they landed, it certainly wasn't as pleasant as the 'sky' above them... The ground was completely barren and colorless, and there was only one thing of interest here... There were a group of 'Laytons' that were attempting to assemble what looked like a very large 3-D jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle itself was at least twice the height of the 'Laytons' and looked very complicated and time-consuming.

"_Where is Hershel's heart? I thought that... Oh no..._"

The tour guide had complete shed his pleasant demeanor and became completely serious, "He had become completely broken..."

The lone spirit's eyes grew wide, "_What?_"

"Years of stress, sacrifice, and emotional anguish... He personally felt responsible for his failures to protect his friends and loved ones. I believe that you had already read about these events. His closest friend, Randall, had gone missing for 18 years. His adopted daughter, Flora, was repeatedly kidnapped and had been brutally injured recently... And, he lost **you** twice before and watched your soul get horribly disfigured in front of him. It would seem that his gentlemanly side had finally broken... He fell apart... I'm certain that you remember when you last saw him. The **real** him, and not us imaginative figments. He was in absolute despair and he went to the point of sacrificing his body."

"_For what? What did he give his body up for?_"

The tour guide's face turned completely grim, "You..."

The lone spirit gasped in surprise, while the tour guide continued to speak, "He had lost you twice, and could not endure it once again. The energy from your spirit had been severed, and you almost faded from existence entirely. Rather than lose you again, he chose to give the energy, and life, from his body to save your spirit. To put it simply, he had chosen to **die** for you!"

If a ghost could form tears, the lone spirit would cry at this point, "_B...but, his mind... It still exists! His memories and his thoughts... They're still here and fully intact! How could he truly be dead if we were in his mind? __**You**__, yourself, are a figment of his mind. If he was dead, neither you, nor anyone else here would even exist!_"

The tour guide nodded in agreement, "Yes, that had puzzled me as well. A dying man's mind would not normally remain fully intact... But, I have a theory."

"_What is it?_"

"Perhaps, the life from his body **hadn't** left him. At least, not completely."

"_Go on..._"

"When the life energy leaves a living thing, they would die. But, even though he used his life to save your soul, your soul had remained in his body the entire time. Technically, his life energy **did not** truly leave him. At least, not yet..."

"_Hmm... Wait a moment! That means that... If I try to leave his body... To free myself and return to my rightful place in death, then... Hershel..._"

The tour guide confirmed her theory with a grim tone of voice, "He will die."

The reality of this situation hit the lone spirit like an atomic bomb. While she remained silent, the tour guide continued to speak, "This is why I had led you here. If my theory is correct, then you hold Hershel Layton's body, mind, life, and future completely in your hands."

He pointed to the other 'Laytons' trying to reform the 3-D jigsaw puzzle heart, "As you can see, we are trying to help him recover, and continue his life. A true gentleman would not hold anyone, especially a lady here, against her own will. But, now you know that if you leave here, he will die, and we will cease to exist. I simply wanted to help you understand the severity of this situation, so that you may make an informed and rational decision."

"_If I did stay, would Hershel recover? Could he continue living?_"

And now the tour guide's face turned even **grimmer**, "To be honest, I do not know... Although his body is technically alive, it is only barely. The damage he had done to himself is very severe, and most likely permanent. Even if he is alive, his body may not only never heal, it may even **worsen** over time. We have records of his medical condition from here, and his body is decaying rapidly. Soon, his physical deformities will affect his ability to help others, care for his daughter and younger companions, and even **truly enjoy life**."

The lone spirit crouched into a fetal position, "_This is all so... incomprehensible..._"

"I know you are strong enough to make this choice. You have endured far worse... At least, that what Hershel's memories indicate. It's time for you to decide. Either stay within his body and mind, while we do what we can to repair his heart and let him live his life for as long as he can, or leave his body, and force him to die and leave his friends, loved ones and adopted daughter behind."

The words he said to the lone spirit seemed to give her a sense of responsibility and resolve. She got up from her (very brief) breakdown, "_All of the pain that had befallen Hershel... I am to blame for it all._"

She floated slowly toward the 3-D jigsaw puzzle heart, "_I told him to live like a gentleman. I told him to be strong. He took it all in his heart, and the pain in his heart continue to accumulate. And... I used him... I withheld my own identity until the end of my life, so he would do what I wanted him to. Now, he's nearly dead because of me!_"

The lone spirit began to pick up some of the broken puzzle pieces, while the tour guide watched in awe, "Hold on a moment... What are you doing? We need those pieces! We need to repair his heart!"

The lone spirit's voice sounded like she would burst into tears (except ghosts don't have tears), "_I know! That's why I'm here now! His time with me in life had started this chaos, and now it's my responsibility to set things right._"

The tour guide Layton's face was puzzled, "I don't understand..."

The lone spirit began to compare the broken puzzle pieces with the pieces that were connected so far, "_I can't let him hurt like this anymore! Even if he will die soon, I want the inside of him, his heart, to be at peace. I'll do all I can to help him now! That's my new responsibility!_"

The tour guide was completely speechless from the lone spirit's epiphany, "_Making Hershel the perfect gentleman was a horrible mistake... Now, I only wish for him to feel happy again._"

**I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter, and you're probably tired of reading my excuses for why. Well, too bad, because I will type them anyway! A combination of college work, a part-time job, Diablo 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, and my own laziness is the reason. But, I made up for it this time, since this is my longest chapter yet! I even turned the message seen in every Layton game about it being a fictional story, and somehow made it TRAGIC! Only in Professor Layton... As always, feel free to review!  
**


	36. Ain't No Rest for the Pupil

During the last time you read about Professor Layton and Luke, they were both experiencing a fair amount of emotional trauma. You have already read about the Professor's trauma in the last chapter, but now we will devote some time to Luke. He watched his mentor and friend stab himself with a silver, pointed vial and trap someone else's soul within his own body. His mentor's body began to decay right before Luke's very eyes while he shouted the professor's name in a futile effort to help him! Naturally, such a traumatic turn of events can leave a young adolescent shaken up a bit.

While you were reading about what was going on inside Professor Layton's very mind, Luke was taking the initiative to actually **drag** the professor's body out of the dungeon and back to civilization. (They were in the boss floor of a 50-floor dungeon, remember?) Luke had wiped most of the snow that got caught in the professor coat off with his hands, and then grabbed the professor's arm and held it over his shoulder with both hands to carry him out, and carried the professor's precious top hat with his teeth.

The snow on the top floor had made it especially difficult for Luke to navigate while carrying the professor over his shoulder. Fortunately for Luke, the lower floors were not as difficult to retrace, since there actually weren't any hazards or angry spirits to navigate through. Travis had probably destroyed them all... The Iron Sentinel that he and the professor had navigated through had been rendered inert as well, since the Snow Angel was destroyed.

Everything was quiet around Luke, except for the sound of his own footsteps slamming on the floors and the cracked ice. It's important to note that even though Luke is young and healthy, his arms and muscles are quite skinny. He does not have very much upper body strength, so dragging the professor by himself was really quite challenging for him, and would take an hour at least for him to get to the bottom floor where the spiritual portal was.

When Luke **finally** did get there (explaining the details of the entire backtracking is very boring), he saw a familiar animal lying on the ground with barely any motion.

The top hat that Luke was holding with his teeth fell on the ground, "Travis?!"

Luke continued to drag the professor with him and approached Travis, who was still tangled in the 'snakes' from earlier. Upon closer examination, Luke noticed that Travis's eye was missing his left eye, and a small trail of blood was leaving his left eye socket! The sight of the animal having its eyeball cut out made Luke shriek with fright and drop the professor on the ground.

Travis was still conscious despite his ordeal, "I don't believe it... You're "top hat's" little pupil, right?"

Although Luke was slightly shivering at the sight of Travis's missing eye, he proceeded to untie the 'snakes' that were tangled around Travis without much delay, "Travis! What happened to you? Your eye... It's..."

Travis still had his sense of snarking and sarcasm, "Yea, it's been cut out of my furry skull! Quit stating the obvious and get me out of here!"

When Luke was finished, Travis clutched his eye socket while grimacing in extreme pain. He was breathing very heavily for a moment and then glanced at Luke with his remaining eye, "Never thought **you** of all people would be saving my sorry ass... Thanks..."

Luke ignored his newly gained pet peeve of Travis's profane language and helped Travis on his feet, "Your eye... How did this happen?"

Travis gritted his teeth in anger, "I was scammed! Silver... I told you... He hired me to retrieve this white stone... this 'White Atlamillia'... from an Akashic point in New York... one of the United States of America. Then..."

Luke had an extremely sympathetic expression on his face for the injured animal, "It's alright. You can tell me."

Travis tried to drag himself up on his feet, "When I finally did, I actually **saw** this Silver for the first time! He came to me, as if he was gonna pay me... Then, he restrained me with these..."

Travis took a moment to examine just **what** these 'snakes' were, "Whatever the hell these are... Then... He walked up to me, while I was down... Muttered something like "the eye of a hunter"... Then, he took some kind of pin from his pocket, and... **Nrrraaagh!**"

Luke looked like he wanted to cry at this point, "He plucked your eye out... That's so horrible! I'm so sorry!"

Luke helped Travis to his feet, while Travis continued to speak, "Kid, I don't need sympathy... I need a doctor... Or a vet... Or whoever the hell can fix", Travis pointed to where his missing eye used to be, "**this!**"

Travis had just now noticed that Luke was trying to carry the professor as well. He paused for a moment to examine the professor with his remaining eye, "Ugh... What happened to **him**? He looks like one of those **old** people in hospice!"

Luke really **was** crying a bit, "Do... do you need me?"

Travis's face had just turned into a look of perplexing horror, "Wait... what?"

Luke continued to sob slightly, "I have to help anyone in need! That's what a gentleman does! Do you need me to carry you?"

Travis had immediately become relieved, "Oh! That! Uh, no. I can walk."

Luke sobbed a bit more, "What did you think I meant?"

Travis didn't answer, but Luke question of "Do you need me?" immediately gave Travis a flashback of some cheesy romantic movie he saw once... All he did to respond to Luke's question was to make his spine shiver...

Travis had then approached the bag of money that Silver had laid next to him earlier. To his surprise, the money was actually genuine, "He back-stabs me, and **still** pays me? What's his deal anyway?"

Luke shrugged his arms in response.

Both Luke and Travis grabbed one of the professor's arms and dragged him out of the spiritual world, which Travis had just now referred to as an 'Akashic Point'. Luke clutched the professor's hat in his other hand, while Travis clutched the bag of money. The world of the living did not seem as less dreary as the spiritual world did when Luke and Travis (and the professor). Perhaps they were in the spiritual world for too long...

The duo dragged the professor's body up the giant hole that his contraption made in the ceiling earlier and out of the tower.

When they did, Travis took a moment to catch his breath, "Ok, kid... Where'd you park your car?"

Luke's memory switched on like a light switch... He and the professor **didn't get to the snow tower** in a car! They used the contraption that they built to travel there... And it was completely totaled...

"Um..."

Travis began to lose his patience, "Well? 'Um...' doesn't answer my question, kid!"

Luke scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "We didn't get here with the car. We used... that..." Luke pointed at the totaled contraption.

Travis held the urge to laugh inside, "That was you? This big hole in the ground? **You** did that? Oh, forget it, I don't care right now... Can you call your parents and have them pick us up?"

Luke complied, and proceeded to dial his phone number. He waited for a moment for someone to pick up, but nobody did... He tried several more times to call home, but to no avail, "That's odd... My parents aren't picking up!"

Travis sighed in disgust, "Great... Got any other ideas?"

Luke remembered having visited Flora in the hospital earlier, so he remembered how to get there, "I guess we could... uh... walk?"

Travis's remaining eye started to twitch, "What..? How far?"

Luke's voice had become silent, "Four... miles..."

Travis was frustrated (again), "We gotta walk four miles from here to get me and 'Top Hat' patched up?! And we gotta drag 'Top Hat' with us the whole time..."

"I'm sorry to say that, but my parents aren't picking up... We don't have another way!"

Travis sighed in defeat, "I can't believe I'm letting some kid boss me around... After I busted my ass for hours on a job and get my eye yanked out for it..."

The duo had begun their trip, and it was a very long walk...

**I know that this chapter was about half the length of the last one, but here it is! After two weeks, another chapter is finished... Feel free to review!**


	37. April Fool's 4th Wall Breaking

And a very, **very**, long walk it was... Luke and Travis were dragging the professor's unconscious (or dead) body to the nearest hospital from the snow tower. Actually, what I mean to say is "**former** snow tower"... Luke and Travis did not notice it, but the weather that the tower is named and renowned for had suddenly become warm. In fact, any evidence that there was ever any snowfall to begin with had melted and...

Luke interrupted me, "Wait a moment... **WHAT?!**" He turned his head towards the snow tower and noticed that it indeed had stopped snowing there.

I **said** that any evidence that there was ever any snowfall to begin with had melted and the ground and tower were completely dry. Anyways, as I was saying, Luke and Travis continued to drag the professor to the hospital with the snow tower behind them...

Luke interrupted me again, "Please, give me a moment. The snow tower isn't snowing anymore?! I didn't even notice earlier! Why did it stop snowing all of a sudden?"

We will get to that later, but for now, Luke and Travis continued to...

Luke interrupted me for a third time now, "No, I need the answer **now**!" The professor wanted to know... That's why we even came here, to solve this mystery. Please, if there's anything that I've missed, could you type it for us?"

No.

Luke got an angry tone in his voice, "Why not?"

If I typed the answer now, the ending would be completely spoiled and anticlimactic, that's why...

Luke's even more frustrated, "The Professah might be dying, and Travis had his eye plucked out! What **more** do we have to go through for the ending?! And please... stop narrating the way I'm talking..."

For Luke's question, I answer 'no'. You have **not** gone through enough, because as the author of this fanfic, only I can determine how long I want you people to suffer. Also, I will never stop narrating you!

"You're such a sadist!"

You're so whiny!

"The word 'whiny' doesn't even exist!"

**You** don't even exist!

Luke begins to point at the sky directly at me, "How dare you! I **do** exist, because I'm yelling at you right now! I'm the professah's apprentice!"

No, really... Everything you have experienced, endured, and remembered is created by a video game company and sold to consumers like me for money. You, Professor Layton, Travis, and everyone else you know exist solely for the entertainment of myself and anyone else who plays the games and reads this fanfic.

Luke's jaw dropped and tears started to form around his eyes... Travis, on the other hand, grew impatient with Luke, and lightly punched him in the shoulder, "Are you kidding me?"

Luke's attention turned to Travis, while Travis had an annoyed scowl on his face, minus an eye, "Kid, could you do me a favor? Quit making me carry 'top hat' by myself, and quit **bitching** at the narrator!"

Luke now began to argue with Travis, "Did you even hear what the narrator said about us?"

Travis nodded, "Why do you even **care** what the narrator thinks? He's probably some **dumbass high school dropout** living in his parent's basement and getting high with your equally dumbass _duuuhuudes_!"

W..what..? Now wait a second! I'm in college! I graduated high school in 2009! You... You're just a **character**! What makes you think you're better than me: the writer, narrator, and most importantly, the person that even written you in existence?

Travis countered my comment, "The fact that I have better things to do with my life than create a fanfiction based off of a video game series about a bunch of characters that, in **your** words, don't even exist..."

Uh...

Travis continued to make me look very stupid, "And to add to your _un-matched wis-dahm_, you created **me** to be a character that refuses to take any of your crap. That's **your** fault, not mine!"

Um...

Travis still continued to make me look stupid, "Aw, am I making you _sad_? Here's a way to make yourself feel better: make another "character", and force them to shove a stick up their ass, like the way you do in **your** life!"

But I-I don't... (runs away from the keyboard and starts sobbing)

Travis just rolled his eyes at me, and then signaled Luke to grab the professor's arm, "Are you ready now?"

Luke did grab the professor's arm again, but still was not fond of Travis's profanity, "Yes, but Travis? Would you mind not swearing so much? A true gentleman would never use such vulg..."

Travis interrupted him, "I **do **mind."

Luke just shook his head in disgust and continued to drag the professor's body to the hospital. During the long walk, the duo observed the surprisingly empty surroundings in the city. It was still afternoon, but there were no cars or citizens in sight. It was like everyone in existence just vanished! The duo dragged the professor around the corner of a building, and immediately realized just why there was nobody in sight... It was impossible to notice earlier, since there was a large set of buildings in the way, but just around it were a bunch of other buildings that had already **collapsed!** There were large potholes in the roads and the ground was cracked to the point that it was visible even from about fifty feet away! Worst of all, there **were** people in the wreckage! There were at least a couple dozen bodies and totaled automobiles littered along the ground among the wrecked buildings!

Luke's very posture shivered in fear, "W-what happened?"

Travis had lost some of his pride from earlier immediately, "The place looks like a warzone..."

Travis pointed to the ruined part of town, "The hospital... It's not over there, right?"

Luke silently nodded with a frown on his face.

The duo continued to drag the professor to the hospital, but at a much quicker pace than before. During the time it took them to get to the hospital, more buildings had started to collapse right around them! It was as if the buildings were **trying **to crush the group to death. The duo started running, while dragging the professor's body, despite being slowed down by the weight.

Luke was breathing heavily while running, "Why (huff) is this (huff) happening to us?"

Travis was also breathing heavily, "You (huff) already said it. (huff) The author's (huff) a sadist..."

This ridiculous chase between the group and falling buildings lasted for about a half hour! Normally, the hospital would have been about four hours away, but the lack of people in the streets meant no traffic. Obviously, that doesn't mean much when walking on foot, but since the streets were practically empty, aside from various pieces of wreckage and dead bodies, there was no waiting for streetlights or having to cross white dotted lines on the road.

At the end of this chase was... what was left of the hospital. The hospital, like most of the other buildings in the area, was destroyed by... well, we don't know what yet.

Luke practically screamed at the top of his lungs, "FLORA!"

That was the same hospital that Flora was left in after the injuries on her face... This panic had actually **given** Luke strength, since was dragged the professor so quickly, and with such fervor, that he was actually dragging Travis along the ground too!

Travis was literally bouncing on the pavement while hanging on the professor's limbs in a comical fashion, "Ow, this really hur... Ow, slow dow... Ow..."

Luke ignored Travis's pitiful attempts to slow down, and dashed as fast as possible toward the wrecked hospital. Upon getting closer, Luke could see what looked like several medical staff members and ambulances followed by about a hundred injured people lying on sleeping mats.

One of the medical staff had immediately called out to everyone else, "Look! We've got a couple more survivors!"

Luke was finally able to stop dashing for a moment and fell to the ground, where the medical staff would pick him, the professor, and Travis off of the ground.

The medical staff had immediately fitted the trio in what rudimentary supplies they had left, which was basically a sleeping bag and some medicine. As you should already know, Luke was mostly uninjured, but was exhausted from all of the running. The professor was still out cold, and his body was very stiff. Travis had the worst injuries, mostly because of his missing eye.

Since the medical team consisted of mostly human doctors, they did not immediately know what to do about a panda...

After a moment of confusion between them, Travis just blatantly spoke up, "Just tranq me, OK? You can figure out the surgical crap later..."

The doctors had never seen a talking panda before, "It can talk?"

Travis just responded in disgust, mostly because of the very long ordeal that he endured, "Oh... Shut up..."

**For the record, I really do go to college, and I'm not a high school dropout... Also, I didn't really sob... I get the feeling that I put too much humor in this otherwise serious chapter, but in a situation like this, most people would just wonder why this was happening to them to the point that they would be hallucinating some kind of deity figure... In this case, I just made this a fourth-wall breaking chapter. No permits are necessary this time! This is a perfect read for April Fool's, but this really is part of the fic. As always, feel free to review! **


	38. A Horrifying Aftermath

Luke and Travis have dragged the professor's body toward the nearest hospital, only for it to have been destroyed by... well, we still don't know that yet... In its place, however, was a makeshift encampment that was housing some, if not all of the patients, as well as some medical staff and some police officers and security guards acting as a 'defense' against "who-knows-what". There was a supply of food, water, and clothing, but it's not nearly enough for the amount of people that are residing in the camp... To make matters worse, there were rumors of the food supply decreasing faster than it should... It was only about 3:30 PM now (yes, I counted the half hour of running from falling buildings last chapter), but the sky above the city was very dark and foggy. It was as if a curse had fallen upon the world only a few hours ago...

The encampment was composed of various sleeping mats assorted in a neat grid-like fashion, with Rows A-T and Columns 1-20. The entrance to the encampment that Luke had practically **dragged** both the professor and Travis since the last chapter was located next to the southern part of the encampment and next to Row T. To give the reader a better grasp of what the encampment is shaped like, bed A1 is located in the most northern-west portion of the encampment and bed T20 is located in the most southern-east portion.

Now, here's a small puzzle for the readers: "Professor Layton, Luke, and Travis, were each placed into separate beds in the encampment to get medical treatment for their earlier injuries. Luke was placed into Bed L-5. Travis was placed into Bed T-19. Unfortunately for some patients, there isn't enough remaining medical supplies for everyone, and some people had still ended up going untreated... Using only this information, which bed should Professor Layton be placed in? You may answer this puzzle with the review posts if you wish.

As you may already know, Luke was not as injured as Travis or Professor Layton was. He had only personally ended up with a few scratches and bruises from earlier, and most of the scratches were just on his clothes. The scratches on his skin were easily patched up with bandages. That being said, Luke is the only one of the three who was not incapacitated, and he was able to leave Bed L-5 immediately when he was finished getting his bandages.

Most of the injured patients on the mats were patients in the nearby hospital before it was destroyed, and that included Flora. Luke's first priority was to make sure she was all right, or at least not dead.

Luke pondered to himself what to do, since aside from the various doctors, he was basically alone, "If only the Professah was here to help..."

That sentence he muttered to himself gave him an idea, "What **would** the Professah do?"

Luke had took a moment to remember what the professor had taught him for all the years that he had travelled with him.

"_No matter how difficult the situation, you must always remain calm and be aware of your surroundings._"

Taking the advice that the professor had once taught him, Luke carefully observed everything around him. I had already explained what the background was earlier, but the most dominant thing that comes to mind from the surroundings was death and destruction... Many patients were barely surviving and needing medical attention, and there aren't enough supplies for everyone...

Luke took a moment to think, "_Since the hospital was destroyed, how would I be able to find Flora? Most, if not __**all**__, of the remaining doctors are desperately trying to tend to everyone they can and can't be distracted! They won't be able to take the time to find one specific patient from all the others, so I can't just __**ask **__one of the doctors... That would've made this so much easier... Hmm..."_

There were security personnel around the encampment, "_Could the police help me? Hmm... I don't know... They're probably trying to protect the rest of us from the falling buildings. Wait, just __**why**__ were buildings trying to fall on us anyway? This couldn't just be the work of some sadistic fanfiction writer... Ugh! Focus, Luke! I've got to find Flora!_"

There were also organized desks and boxes around the guard posts, which gave Luke an idea, "_Wait a moment... If that's where they keep their information, maybe there's some sort of __**Patient Record**__ there? But, even if there was, would it have been updated after the hospital was destroyed? Well, it's worth a try, since it would be the only way to keep track of the patients._"

Luke didn't have any recourse for the time being, so it was off to the guard post for him. The guards weren't nearly as busy, since nobody else alive was outside the encampment at the moment. Luke's attention was turned toward a particularly fat and plump officer, who's back was turned, "Excuse me, sir. Are there any records of patients that have been admitted into the hospital prior to its destruction?"

The fat officer didn't seem to notice Luke until he asked him, because he flinched in surprise. Afterwards, he turned around quickly, and practically stared at Luke for a couple of seconds. Luke could stare back long enough to make out the officers very large cheeks, soggy nose, and round eyes. This officer paled in comparison to the healthy shape of all of the other ones nearby.

A thought had immediately popped up in Luke's head, "_My word... Is __**this**__ where the missing food went?_"

The fat officer now had Luke's attention and had a Scottish accent, "Yes, what do ya want, lad?"

His question seemed to snap Luke back to reality, "M-medical records... I need to find someone that was admitted here before the hospital was destroyed."

The fat officer's tone of voice lowered a little, "Who're you looking for? I might be able to find em?"

Luke glanced at the name on the desk of where the fat officer was sitting. It read 'B. Rotundson'. Yes, the fat officer's last name is Rotundson! I'm serious...

"Flora Reinhold, sir. She was admitted to this hospital only a couple of days ago. She had second degree burns and was supposed to be recovering for at least two weeks."

Rotundson seemed to comply, since he turned to look at the assistant behind him, "ELLL-GOOOOOOO!"

When Officer Rotundson shouted at his assistant, Luke could actually see Rotundson's fat facial cheeks wiggle in the air. They had a hypnotizing effect on Luke's mind...

The assistant had a similar officer attire on, but was very scrawny looking. He had very small facial features, although his eyes were slightly bigger than Professor Layton's. His most defining trait were that his ears were very long and drooped down to his neck... Again, I'm serious...

He had a very light voice, "Sire?"

Rotundson's voice had immediately become very loud, "This lad needs to find his sister, Flora Reinhold, and he needs to, NOW!" His cheeks were wiggling every time he shouted...

Luke tried to correct Rotundson, "Actually, sir... She's not my sister."

Rotundson shouted at Elgo again, and shook his cheeks again, "You heard the lad, find his girlfriend, NOW!"

Luke was getting increasingly annoyed, "She's not my girlfriend either!"

Rotundson shouted at Elgo and shook his cheeks yet again, "You heard the lad, find his mother, NOW!"

Luke's eye began to twitch at the thought of a policeman thinking that a girl slightly **older** than him is his mother. Luke just relented, since arguing with this guy wasn't going anywhere...

Finally, Elgo searched the medical records. Many of the forms looked like they didn't come from a hospital and were just made hastily and taped together by hand. Elgo rapidly flipped through each slip of paper until he stopped on a dime and actually **clapped** his hands together on the correct page.

Luke couldn't believe how odd these officers were acting, "_New York is getting destroyed... I would think that these people wouldn't act so silly..._"

Elgo pulled out the piece of paper and read out where Flora should be resting, "Bazinga! She should be in Bed F-1, to your left when you leave."

Luke was still thankful to get a straight answer, "Thank you very much, gentlemen!"

Rotundson responded with a now very jolly voice, "We're glad to help you find your daughter, lad!"

First, sister... Then, girlfriend... Then, mother... And now, **daughter**?! As Luke was just leaving, he did his best to hold the urge to slap him in the face and watch his facial cheeks jiggle some more...

Since this guard post was on the western side of the encampment, and Bed F-1 was supposed to be to the left, it shouldn't have been that difficult to find Flora. The problem was, that her supposed bed was within plain sight right after he left the guard post, and it was **empty**...

Luke signed in disgust, but wondered to himself if he should've expected that from such an odd officer and a slightly less odd assistant. He was about to go ask a **different** officer for help, before he heard what sounded like an old man, "I told ya! I'm **not** eating that stuff! I want my **BISCUITS**!"

A young, female voice was equally angry with the elderly man, "I told you! We don't have any more biscuits! Here, have some of my cucumber sandwiches!"

Luke immediately her voice, "Flora?"

The elderly man shouted again, "**BISCUITS!**"

Luke could see the back of Flora's head, with her ponytail sticking out, "Flora!"

Flora turned to face Luke and that's when Luke saw her face... It had only been a couple of days, and her face still had stitches and burns all over it! If it weren't for Flora's unbelievably large eyes, Luke wouldn't recognize her!

Naturally, Luke gasped in disbelief and looked like he wanted to cry (again). Flora was also overjoyed to see Luke again, and she immediately dropped the sandwich on the elderly man's face and ran over to Luke and hugged him.

It was as if Luke had a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders. The professor would have felt a lot better, if he was still conscious. Luke was just barely holding back tears, "Flora, I thought you would be resting! The doctor told the Professah and I that you would be getting medical care for at least two weeks!"

Flora had recoiled a bit from that question, and took a moment to touch the burnt skin on her face, "I was resting... I was in the hospital bed, resting. Then, I felt the whole ground shake under me! Everyone was panicking, and the doctors told us all to leave! I was carried out of my room, while the hospital started to collapse! It was like a horrible nightmare! There was fire, and... And, there was blood on the ground! When I was escorted out of the burning hospital, I still heard people screaming inside! They were trapped inside the burning building!"

Luke did his best to comfort Flora, "How horrible... Are you all right?"

Flora was clearly mentally affected by the ordeal, "I'm still alive... But, I just... When the rest of the city was starting to collapse, there were more and more people that needed help! Most of them couldn't even walk or move! It was horrible! Anyway, I... got out of my bed. My new one... The one outside... I wanted to help, since I could still walk."

Flora began to cheer up at around this point, "The doctors said that we were running out of food, so I started making my special cucumber sandwiches! We still had plenty of bread and cucumbers left, and I wanted to make everyone some delicious food!"

Luke shuddered at the thought of Flora's food, "Cucumber sandwiches?"

Luke glanced over toward the elderly man, who spat out her sandwich and threw it in the dirt.

Flora noticed this, and became very angry, "And after everything that's happening, I would think you would **appreciate** my cooking!"

Luke silently felt sorry for the old man, "_You have my deepest sympathies, my good man..._"

Flora was concerned about the professor, "Luke, why isn't the professor with you?"

Luke was reluctant to tell Flora the entire story, about Professor Layton going crazy and literally jamming a spirit within his own body, so he made up a reason not to go see him just yet "I... uh... I had to drag him here! He's really hurt, and needed a hospital! But... The doctors are helping him now, but they need more time!"

Flora was still concerned, "The professor? **He** was a victim of this too? And, the doctors... Does that mean we can't see him right now? I would think he would be hungry for my sandwiches."

Luke knew the professor would **definitely** not need Flora's cooking, and made up another excuse, "No... No! The Professah needs to rest! Yes, that's... that's what the doctor said! But, what do you mean by 'victim', Flora?" What happened?"

Flora's eyes widened (as if that was possible) in disbelief, "You mean you don't know? Didn't you hear what the police said? They think that there was terrorism! The president said on the news that this was worse than what happened in 9/11!"

Luke was confused, since this didn't explain what he saw earlier, "Terrorists?"

That explanation was probably just a cover story, since nobody would **really** know how to explain the sky going dark in the afternoon and buildings attempting to fall on people... The government couldn't replicate the spirits of the dead either, and they were probably just as clueless as everyone else...

Luke just wanted to change the subject now, "Travis is here too!"

Flora was also concerned for the talking animal, "Really? Can we see him?"

Luke wasn't sure how to tell Flora about the professor's depleting sanity over her injuries, so he tried to distract her for a while, "I guess it's all right, but Travis lost his eye, so try not to scream when you see him."

Flora shrieked in fear immediately after hearing that, "EEEEEK!"

The duo went to Bed T-19, where Travis was supposed to be sleeping in. The doctors didn't know what to do with a talking animal, other than what he told them to do. They were not veterinarians, and were not used to non-human patients. Travis told them to just 'tranq him', so the most probable way to treat him was morphine. Yep, lots and lots of morphine...

When the duo saw Travis, he looked intoxicated out of his mind. Travis started **singing** some random song, "Soooooometiiiiiimes, I **feeeeell** so very, **very,** **happieeeeeeeee**, and soooooometiiiiiimes, I wannaaaaaaaa **criiiieeeeeiiiiieeeeeiiiiiiiyaaaaaaa!**"

Luke and Flora just stared silently with their mouths wide open... Travis noticed the duo, but was still very mentally impaired by the amount of morphine in his body, "H-heeeeeyyyy! There's my... my **maaaaan!** And, the... the, uh, offfferrr one, with the eyes that are soooooo **huuuuuuuuge** and **raiooooooound** and..."

Before Travis could finish his sentence, he immediately vomited all over the ground, while Luke and Flora covered their eyes...

**As I typed earlier, you can answer the puzzle in the review section, if you want to. I realize that I didn't put many puzzles in this story at all, and focused more on the story instead... Hopefully, if this story is good enough, I would make at least two more, and add more puzzles in them! As always, feel free to review!**


	39. A Slow and Painful Recovery

**The correct answer to the puzzle from the last chapter was: H-12! My thirteenth follower and self-proclaimed 'puzzle ninja', Nazo-nin, was the only one the answer the puzzle correctly! In fact, he (or she) was the only one to even attempt to answer the puzzle at all... In over a week, only one response... Go figure...**

It was nearly 4 PM now, and the conditions in the encampment haven't improved. Flora was basically very anxious to see the professor again after everything that happened, and Luke doesn't want her to be mentally scarred even more than she already was... And Travis, well, he's still in a morphine-induced stupor, although it's starting to wear off...

After hearing what the American government's theory is about many buildings in New York being destroyed and the sky going dark, Luke was trying to put together what had **actually** happened. It's not that Luke or anyone else thinks that the government was actually involved, but no act of 'terrorism' could make the sky go as dim as it is in the middle of the afternoon...

These are the following facts that Luke knows about before everything became a living hell:

There was an Akashic Point underneath the Snow Tower, where what appeared to be the spirits of the deceased were residing.

The supernatural hunting animal, Travis, was left for dead by his employer, Silver Queens. His eye had also been plucked out of his skull. At least, that's what Travis **told** him...

A large portion of New York City was now in a desolated and ruined state and the sky around it had become very dim. It's important to note that the Snow Tower is around the very center of the destroyed portion of the city, like the radius in a circle. Areas further away from the Snow Tower were less affected than areas closer to it. This may indicate that the Snow Tower and the destruction are linked in some manner.

While Luke was busy pondering these events, Flora was having total sympathy and concern for Travis's injured state, despite her own injuries, "Travis, would you like some of my special cucumber sandwiches?"

Travis was showing visible discomfort, which meant that the morphine is starting to lose its effect, "Ugh... The last thing on my mind is... food. What **I **need... is more of that... **needle**... to take the pain from my head away."

Travis took a good look at Flora's burned and injured face, "H-hey, what are you wearing that... uh, mask for?"

Flora actually had tears in her eyes from Travis's question, "I-it's **not** a mask!"

Travis didn't seem too concerned with hurting Flora's feelings, since he immediately just tried to get himself off the bed and on his feet.

Luke gasped in response, since Travis should still be resting right now, "Travis! What are you doing?"

The doctors nearby, as well as Flora, had also reacted immediately and tried to restrain Travis and keep him on the bed. Travis reached for one of the morphine needles that was in one of the doctor's coat pockets and grabbed it.

He tried to inject himself with more morphine, but one of the doctors caught his arm and stopped him, "No! Talking bear, stop it!"

Travis was actually **begging**, which was a huge difference from the normally cocky personality that he had, "But... I need more!"

The doctor had a stern tone of voice, "Your body can't handle any more morphine!"

Travis was still in a pitiful and pathetic state, "Don't... tell **me**... what I can't handle! I went to **college**!"

The doctor was unfazed by this and wrestled the morphine needle from Travis's hand, "If you keep trying to inject yourself, you could die! You're going to OD from this!"

Travis was basically reduced to a blubbering wreck, "But... head... pain... **BAD**!"

The doctor had his hand on Travis's furry shoulder, "I'll get you some ice."

Travis continued to moan in pain, while Luke and Flora helplessly watched with tears in their eyes... One of the other doctors just led the two away from the suffering animal, so they wouldn't have to see any more. They were pushed north, from the T Row toward the H Row of beds. By chance, Flora happened to get a glance of Bed H-12, where the professor was resting, along with a very young girl holding a basket of flowers.

Flora gasped in surprise and rushed over to the professor immediately, without taking any notice toward the little girl, "Professor?!"

What Flora saw at that moment was not meant for innocent eyes... The professor's body was very pale and deteriorated, and his veins were actually visible to the naked eye on his hands and face! He still wore his signature brown coat and hat, which was unusual for someone in medical care, but supplies were very limited at the time, and his clothing was mostly undamaged.

Flora made a futile attempt to wake the professor up by grabbing and shaking him repeatedly, "Professor! Professor! Wake up!"

What Flora felt did not feel like normal skin either... The professor's body was very cold to the touch, and his joints felt stiff! He wasn't responding to either Flora's voice or nudging...

The little girl nearby Flora started dropping flowers, such as roses, and marigolds, and had an unusually cheerful look on her face. She had tiny pigtails and looked no older than a preschooler, and it was very likely that she didn't comprehend the seriousness of this situation. The little girl handed Flora a flower, as if to cheer her up. Flora smiled with a tear still in her eye and grasped the flower.

The little girl shook her head and snatched the flower back, "No. No. Here!" She threw the flower on the professor.

Luke didn't fully understand, "Excuse me, why are you dropping flowers on the professah?"

The little girl had a very high-pitched voice, "My dah-dee says dat putting fwowers on dead bahdies poo-rifies them. He said dat it's a ain-shent Hindu rit-yu-al."

Flora shrieked in horror, "Dead body!?"

Luke went toward the doctor that was monitoring the professor, "Is the professah really... gone?"

No doctor ever like to deliver this news, "Well, this isn't easy to say... His body had lost a lot of its heat from his limbs and face, which would indicate that he's been dead for a while now."

Luke could hardly believe it, but before he started mourning the professor, the doctor continued his explanation, "But... According to the thermographic pictures, there's still a small amount of body heat in the very center of his body, where his heart is."

Luke felt somewhat reassured, "So, the professah's alive?"

The doctor had actually looked dumbfounded, "We don't know. He looks and feels like a dead man already, but at the same time, it's like there's something in him. It's like... there's something in his body, trying to keep the man alive. In my years with a medical degree, I've never seen anything like it!"

Luke had remembered something from earlier, and had an idea to confirm it, "May I see the pictures?"

The doctor looked confused for a moment, while Luke asked again, "You said you had thermographic pictures. May I please see them? I think I might know what happened."

The doctor had no reason to think that a child could figure out what a team of doctors couldn't, but there wasn't anything to lose anyway, "Go right ahead."

Luke examined the pictures closely, and noticed the small pulse of red and yellow in the otherwise blue thermographic picture. A healthy body would have the entire body pictured in a red and yellow coloring. But, just as the doctor said, only the very center of the professor had any heat. Luke recalled the moment when he saw him trap another spirit within his own body, and thought that the two might be related.

Then, Luke walked over toward the professor and put his face very close to the professor's heart, as if to speak to whatever was inside it, "Professah... When the professah saw you... He thought you were the spirit of his lost love... Are you really her? Are you the one that trying to keep the professah alive?"

**There isn't much else to say, except that the doctors really are very competent individuals. It's just that the situation is even more difficult than most trained professionals can handle... As always, feel free to review!**


	40. The True Origin of the Snow Angel

The human body is a fascinating miracle of nature and creation... It can be trained to endure tremendous pain and can heal itself over time... The organs of the human body exist solely to maintain the life of the body and work together seamlessly like the band members of an orchestra... But, this harmony is a double-edged sword, as disrupting even one organ in the body can ending up killing the person entirely...

Professor Layton is in a comatose and unconscious state, but he is still alive. Barely... The lone spirit residing in the professor's body is the only thing sustaining him, and she had been attempting to reform the 3-D puzzle piece heart for a while. Because of the fact that she was a ghost, she was able to levitate and reach places that the other 'Professor Laytons' could not reach easily as well as guide the pieces to their correct positions by controlling them with her own thoughts. These otherworldly powers have proven to be very useful in the reconstruction of the 3-D puzzle heart. It would take about three hours to finish the reconstruction of the puzzle heart, and although it was made from puzzle pieces, it had the appearance of a real human heart, and not one of the hearts you would see on a playing card.

The 'tour guide Layton' expressed his gratitude, "Excellent! It would seem that this puzzle was tailor-made for you!"

The lone spirit felt slightly relieved, but was still visibly very dismal, "_He needed this much..._"

The tour guide noticed her sadness, "Are you feeling all right?"

The lone spirit had a tone of voice that made her sound desperate, "_Is there anything else I can do to heal Hershel? Maybe... give him new memories in his mind? Something happy?"_

The tour guide took a moment to ponder what to do, "All that is left is to turn the gentleman on again... We just need a power source for his heart now. I apologize for asking so much of you, but since you're so adamant on helping us, would you please... uh... go **inside** the heart? "

The lone spirit was naturally confused, "_Inside it? You want me to act like I'm some sort of __**battery**__?_"

"You've caught on quickly. I believe that, since Hershel used his life to save you, it would be possible to revive him by putting his life back where it belongs. Of course, since there's no way to take it from you, since it was used to repair your spirit..."

The lone spirit finished his sentence, "_Then, I need to stay in his heart._"

The tour guide chuckled to himself, "Forgive the figurative pun but, yes."

The lone spirit nodded her head without another word. Since she had no physical form, going through his heart without breaking it was actually a fairly simple task. The inside of Hershel Layton's heart had become illuminated with a light blue glow by the lone spirit's presence, which caused the entire body to twitch.

The professor's own thoughts could be heard from the heart, "Uhhh..."

The lone spirit heard his voice and was shuddering in anticipation, "_Hershel... Is that really you..?_"

The professor's thoughts could be heard from the rest of the body, as if it was broadcasted, "It is... uhh... quite dark here... I had just experienced a terrifying nightmare. Flora, you were harmed so horribly, I couldn't forgive myself if I couldn't protect you! Oh... I don't feel well... Would you mind getting me some tea?"

From here on out, this is a conversation between two souls in one body.

"_Hershel..._"

"It all felt so real... I felt so powerless. Ah, but it was just pure fantasy..."

"_Hershel! It's __**me**__!"_

The professor's body twitched again, "That voice... But... Does this mean... Claire?"

"_Yes..._"

"But, how is this... You're dead. Where are you? I can't see anything!"

"_I'm... My soul is inside your heart... Literally..._"

"I don't comprehend this... Have I... died?"

"_No, Hershel... You're still alive, but only scarcely... You're in a coma, and __**I**__ am the only thing keeping you alive right now!_"

"This is what a comatose state is like..? I thought I saw you... before everything went black... My word, everything feels so cold."

"_You __**did**__ see me! Well, what was __**left**__ of me... I felt myself get torn apart, and then, you saved my soul... You guided my soul into your body. I don't know how, but... You used the life from your body to save my soul._"

"Then... that means... everything I remembered... about Flora, you, the Snow Tower... It was all real..?"

"_Yes... Hershel... Everything you went through... The other souls that tried to kill you, the way Flora was suffering, and... the way I... broke your heart..._"

Both souls were silent for a moment, as if to take in everything that had happened. Afterwards, the professor's had the most pitiable and envious feeling that could possibly be imaginable, "Why did this happen..?"

"_Hershel?_"

"What have I done to deserve all of this..? Why couldn't I protect my daughter? The people I care for... They always suffer... I just wanted to solve another puzzle. Why...?"

The lone spirit, who was the spirit of the professor's late beloved, could barely make out a respectable answer, "_Hershel... I was in your mind earlier. I caught up on all of your adventures. Well, __**most**__ of them anyway..._", the books that took place between Miracle Mask and Curious Village were still missing, "_I saw... how badly I ended up hurting you. I used you... to restore the flow of time... to get what I wanted... Was that right, Hershel..?_"

The professor's body twitched again, which indicated a feeling of getting caught red-handed for something from the lone spirit's point of view. He had no answer for that...

"_It's all right, Hershel... It really is. You weren't to blame for any of this... I was to blame... for everything. I'm so sorry._"

"Claire, wait... This wasn't your fault! I... I couldn't protect you. And, the prime minister, Bill Hawks... He covered the truth about your death and... I..."

"_Even after all these years, you're such a gentleman. You __**poor man**__! I never __**did**__ tell you my full side of the story, did I?_"

"The full story..? You were one of the victims of the time machine explosion. Bill Hawks let you be the first live person for the time machine experiment, despite knowing Dimitri's warning about a grave miscalculation with the time machine. He had become rich and powerful by keeping the risks secret from you until it was too late, and it cost many lives, including yours! You were dead, or should I say, you **are** dead. What else is there to tell me that I would not already know?"

"_I'm ashamed to admit it, but..._", the lone spirit paused for a moment, "_I... I __**knew**__ about the time machine miscalculations..._"

"You... **what** did you just say?"

"_Before Bill chose me to test the time machine, I checked our calculations one final time. Everything checked out, except for one flaw: the wave function did not take the entire chronological value into account, but only the initial value."_

"I haven't the faintest idea what that means, but if you know that there was something wrong, then why haven't you told anyone?!"

"_The other scientists and I... We've spent years trying to perfect our pet project. We wanted to make history! We've endured many setbacks that forced us to either adjust the way the time machine affects living particles, which would take weeks , or even redo the entire project over from scratch, which would take __**years**__! I dreaded the possibility of have to start our work all over again, just when we were about to present our time machine to the world. It was only a demonstration, so the test subject would only be sent approximately 3.65 minutes into the future. I didn't believe the entire chronological value was necessary for such a small amount of time..._"

"Your time machine project was that important to you? So much that, you would gamble your own life? Why?"

"_You know me, Hershel... When I was alive, I always believed that in the end, everything would sort itself out, and that the future would be a bright one. I was optimistic... __**Too**__ optimistic... I didn't want one minor error to rob my fellow scientists and I from our place in history, and to prove my optimism, I personally offered to be the first test subject. I figured that, even if something went awry, it would only cause a blackout for a few days at the most. But, as the machine started, the initial value multiplied by the time it took for the time machine to boot up and... That 3.65 minutes became 3,650 days which was nearly ten years and that blackout became an explosion!_"

"All this time, I... I thought Bill had just left you to die..."

"_No, Hershel, he didn't. Although Bill profited from my demise, he was no more responsible than I was. The explosion, Clive's attempt to take revenge, and the emotional pain that you had suffered from for all these years originated from my own recklessness!_"

"I don't know what to say..."

"_I know I sound like a hypocrite, but when I found out that I would be pulled back to the time of my death, I just wanted to keep anyone else from making the mistake I made in life much worse than it already was. That's all... I had to use you to do it. When I saw you again, I couldn't bear to hurt you even more than you already were. That's why I lied to you about my identity. But in the end, I couldn't bear to leave you without saying goodbye. I needed to be with you one more time, so I revealed my true identity in my last moments."_

"My depression lasted for days since that moment... To be honest, I had thoughts of taking my own life. It was fortunate that Flora was around to cheer me up."

"_I thought you would remain strong, no matter the circumstances. After all, that's what a true gentleman does. But, when I explored your mind and saw the sadness you had endured in your life, I saw... the __**real**__ you. Beneath your exterior of the perfect gentleman, you were as human as anyone else. My death traumatized you so much... I hope you can forgive me..._"

Though the professor's body was still in a coma from the outside, the inside voice from the professor's mind could display an intense amount of emotion, "Claire... I thought you would at least be at peace after all of this... What happened to you after your death?"

"_After I shed my corpse, I was back in my own time. I immediately felt like I was being drawn toward a bright light. At first, I believed that this was the 'heaven' that the spirits of the dead go to, but it was no heaven... The world around me was very much like the world of the living, but there was so much snow, broken glass, and decayed buildings lying everywhere. The whole world around me was also very cold and bleak and there was so many spirits just like myself that were full of sadness and guilt. I realized that I was one of them... Ironically, the explosion itself was the most __**painless**__ part of my ordeal. There was no pain in the physical sense after death, but the horror of what I had done to the British community and the guilt of destroying so many lives had lingered with me from beyond the grave... I have died and I cannot rest in peace!_"

"You were actually being **punished **after your death?"

"_I believe so... All of the other dead around me had tremendous feelings of guilt and anguish. I could see their emotions quite clearly._"

"I beg your pardon... You could 'see' their emotions..?"

"_As a matter of fact, yes. While my time as a dead soul was very sad and depressing, it was also an opportunity to gain newfound insight and knowledge about things that I could never have imagined when I was alive. There are no barriers of any kind to the dead, Hershel. Nothing can ever be hidden or kept secret from the dead. This may be difficult to explain, but I'll do my best to help you understand. A person's emotions, whether living or dead, exude an 'aura' that is either soft or intense, depending on the emotion. These 'auras' are not visible to the naked, living eye, but my ability to sense my surroundings had greatly amplified without a physical body to limit me. One of the first things that I learned in my deathly state was how to read and understand the emotions of everyone around me._"

"In more understandable terms, you could see or feel what living people, like myself, could not."

"_Very good... But, that was only the beginning. I also learned that emotions were not the only dominant factor to the dead, but thought and focus were as well. I had no physical body, and I could not grab or touch physical objects, such as a pocket watch, like a living person could. For me to manipulate my surroundings, I had to imagine the object moving in the way that I wanted it to with my thoughts. The amount of potency my focus had toward the object would determine how easily or more difficultly I could manipulate the object, even from a distance._"

"Hmm... Telekinesis?"

"_In layman's terms, yes... But the reality was much more complicated, because I was not limited to simply moving objects. I could also create very complex constructs using the base material around me by simply putting an image of what I wanted to create in my mind while focusing on the material that I wanted to create it from. For example, let's suppose that I wanted to make an enormous top hat made of ice..._"

"You... made a top hat... out of ice..?"

"_I would keep the image of a top hat in my mind, while focusing on the ice among the frozen debris, and then the ice would slowly form into the image that I wanted. And yes, Hershel, I __**did**__ make a top hat out of ice. Several, actually..._"

"Hmm...?"

"_I couldn't truly forgive myself for the pain I've cause in life, but I needed a way to take my mind off of it. At the same time, I was also __**very**__ bored and I needed a way to keep myself occupied. I couldn't do things like eat or sleep anymore, so the only thing that I could do to amuse myself was to constantly think of new ways to control the world around me. I made pianos out of ice, 'Tin Man' gentlemen out of metal, top hats from pieces of fabric, bicycles out of rocks, and so on..._"

"And since you were back in your own time upon your death... does that mean you were in this 'hell' since that time, and for over ten years?!"

"_**Over**__ ten years? Goodness, I wouldn't have known... There were functioning clocks where I was, but I had no way to tell how many years I was there. I felt like I was there for an eternity... Anyway, after experimenting with my, at the time, 'newfound' abilities of reading the emotional states of others and controlling my surroundings with my thoughts, I started to wonder just why the 'hell' that I resided in was a 'hell' to begin with. It may have been the scientist in me, but I was willing to theorize that this 'hell' was not originally as cold and bleak as it was when I first arrived there, and may in fact have come from decades, if not centuries, of guilt and sadness that could have made that place the way it was at all. Most of the other souls there couldn't even keep their sanity intact..._"

"My word... I cannot imagine what you went through."

"_Oh, don't pity __**me**__... I must have deserved this..._"

"Please, do not feel like that! **Nobody** could deserve to be so miserable! And, it wasn't just you either..? There were more spirits just like you?"

"_There were... And at last, I had a new lease in my eternal death. I wanted to help those poor, miserable souls however I could, but I could barely interact with them to begin with, since most of them were out of their minds! Since I couldn't just rouse anyone out of their broken state, I reminded myself about what my mother did for me when I was just a little girl and started crying. She would play a beautiful melody on her piano and I would fall straight asleep... I used one of the pianos that I made from ice and started to play that same melody. Now, of course, since it was just a big chunk of ice, there weren't any real sounds coming out, but I could still produce the music anyway._"

"You could put the melody in your mind to make the sound. Is that correct?"

"_Mhmm... Interacting with the dead is much different than doing so with the living. There's no need to move my lips are use instruments for me. I could produce any sound I wanted to via telepathy. And, for the first time, I saw the other souls calm down and relax. It was such a relieving feeling to know I could do something! At the same time, sound was another element that I had control over. That gave me yet another question about the bizarre place that I was in: __Was I limited in any way over what goes on here? And, does a living body actually __**limit**__ the potential of living things, rather than enhance it?__ I just had to test this out... I took one of the 'Tin Man' gentlemen that I created and focused on the idea of basic thought. I wanted to know if I was not only able to create mere devices, but create life as well!_"

"You could make your metallic creations come to life!?"

"_Yes, but only barely... Actually, it was really more like an 'artificial intelligence' rather than true original thought. First, I would give the 'tin gentleman' a list of tasks that it must fulfill, like walking in a circle, and then I would observe how it would perform them. The results were... astonishing, to say the least. But, the 'tin gentleman' would only act like an AI while I focused on it. The moment I stopped, it would completely cease any movements. I basically played around with my creations for a little while, before coming across what looked like a white stone._"

"White stone..? Wait, could that have been what Travis was looking for?"

"_Travis? Hmm... Maybe another one of your friends... Anyway, I examined this stone and saw intense vibrations coming from it. Normally, there were only these same vibrations from souls, so naturally, I was intrigued. I focused on this stone and moved it upward a bit, and the first thing I noticed was how many objects were floating upward simultaneously. I immediately theorized that this 'white stone' was some sort of 'amplifier'._"

"You attempted another experiment?"

"_I did! With this amplifier in the vicinity, I attempted to focus the same thoughts on the 'tin gentleman' again. The same thing occurred as last time, but only all of the other 'tin gentlemen' were also acting the same way at once! And, when I ended my focus, the amplifier would continue to focus in my place! It was like having another 'me' acting in my place! Without delay, I focused a different task other than walking in a circle, like waving its arms up and down. When I did, my creations would walk in a circle __**and**__ wave their arms at the same time!_"

"With this 'amplifier' that you speak of, you could make anything do anything you wished. Is that correct?"

"_Well, I would consider it an 'understatement' to think that I went a bit over the edge with power... No, I felt __**like a GOD!**_"

"My word..."

"_I know... But my feeling of having infinite power ended up giving me another thing to feel guilty for... Some time had passed after I realized the true potential of this 'amplifier', I was playing that same melody every so often to help the other souls feel better, like I usually did. When I had finished playing, I felt a different kind of vibration come near me. The aura that this soul possessed was not blue and sad, like the others. It had a silver color to it. Upon closer examination, I realized that this 'soul' was in fact a living person, and there were other living people with him with similar auras, but with varying colors!_"

"Living people around the souls of the dead? Exactly how did they get there?"

"_That's what I wondered as well... At the time, I never saw a living person since my death. At first, the one with the silver aura, whom I assume was their leader, told me to give him the "White Atlamillia". I assumed he meant the 'amplifier', since it had a white appearance, so I asked him why he needed it. Every living person there looked completely amazed, not because I was a dead soul, but because I could speak to them freely. After all the time I was in this frozen 'hell', the 'silver aura' man stated out loud that I was the only one who did not lose my mind. I was in shock from hearing that, since that implied that those living people __**knew**__ about the sad souls here. I immediately demanded answers about what was going on. Instead of telling me, the living people tried to use their focus on __**me**__! This was the same kind of focus that I could use to manipulate anything I wanted, and living people could use it. It was as if they were trying to control me... To force me to submit to their collective will!_"

"A living person with a 'silver aura' wanted to control you... I wonder..."

"_It's true... But, I wouldn't have any of that! Those living people were still limited by their bodies, and I refuse to submit. It was fairly easy for me to break their focus and use __**my**__ focus on them!_"

"You..? What did you do..?"

"_No living person was any match for me, Hershel. The very thought of anyone trying to control me against my will was enough to cross the line, and I held nothing back! I focused on each living person there and had the thought of their very living bodies exploding from the inside out!_"

"Claire... You used your power as a dead soul to kill living people..?"

"_..._"

"Tell me the truth!"

"_It's true... I... I mean, the man with the silver aura escaped my grasp, but the people that came with him were completely slaughtered... by me! I was completely __**mortified**__ about what I had just done! The dead souls of the lives that I had just taken were also trapped with me as well! I immediately had the thought of just throwing the 'amplifier' away, but more and more dead souls ended up where I was over time, and I knew I wouldn't be able to help them all on my own. So, I took the 'amplifier' with me and isolated myself with it. There was a clock tower that I could reside in, and keep the 'amplifier' safe from anyone else... I used it to create all sorts of creations that would be used to protect the 'amplifier' from any misuse! After that, I altered the inside of the clock tower to be an entire world from my own mind so that nobody else would ever be able to claim it! At the same time, I was able to heal the other dead souls around me by playing the same melody every hour! Lastly, I would try to keep any more living people away from that cold and terrible place. If even __**I**__ could be provoked enough to take lives as a soul, I couldn't imagine what any other soul would do. I put all of my effort into protecting both the souls and the dead and the living. It was the only thing I could do..._"

"This... is beyond any comprehension... But, I saw the 'Travis' I mentioned earlier viciously attack you with his 'Spectral Blades'! He is not human, but an intelligent panda with human-like qualities. Would you explain that as well?"

"_Travis..? So __**that's**__ what that animal was... I did what I could to keep any living thing away, and this 'Travis' was no exception. But, not only did he not heed my warnings, he eradicated so many dead souls in his path! I couldn't even do anything to heal the damage that animal did, even with the 'amplifier'! They were simply gone, with no heaven or reincarnation to bring them peace... That animal didn't even have remorse! He was the first living thing to make it all the way to me, and he also demanded this 'White Atlamillia', which was no doubt the 'amplifier'. I couldn't just __**give**__ it to that animal, especially after how ruthless he was, and he attempted to destroy __**my**__ soul as well! There was no telling what chaos may be unleashed if the 'amplifier' was abused!_"

"Did you attempt to stop Travis as well, even if it meant taking his life?"

"_I didn't want to go that far... but yes. I held myself back a lot during the fight. I did not want to take any more lives! I just wanted him to give up and leave, but he never did... This fight kept going on for some time, until... I saw __**you**__..._"

"I could not believe that I saw your dead soul that time either... I thought I had lost my mind."

"_When I saw you, Hershel, I completely lost focus... After that, well, you already know..._"

"He destroyed your soul and claimed the White Atlamillia. And I... seeing you in that state... I just lost all rational thought."

"_Hershel..._"

"After seeing my daughter hurt so much... After losing you **twice**... I could not take any more! I went **mad**! I held your soul in my body... I could not even think any more..."

"_And when you did, my destroyed soul was absorbing the life from your body... You... Hershel, you had given your life for me... If I didn't hold back against that animal, this would never have happened! I'm so sorry! Everything... __**Everything that happened**__... It was all my fault! I... I cannot forgive myself..._"

"Claire... Don't hate yourself anymore... Please... I... I forgive you."

"_You... what?_"

"I know you, and I know you're a good person. Do not hate yourself any more..."

"_You... you really mean that, Hershel?_"

"You say that your soul is the only thing keeping me alive. You are doing this out of your own will, correct?"

"_I am... The life you gave to save me, it's still in me right now. I'm inside your heart and my presence is what is allowing you to live. If I left your body..._"

"I will die."

"_This was all I could do for you. Hershel, listen to me... When I told you to be a gentleman, I never thought all of this would happen. I know you are only human, like anyone else, so... I just want you to live whatever life you have happily. That's all..._"

"What about the 'White Atlamillia'? You told me that there would be chaos if someone else had it. Do you need me to stop Travis?"

"_To be honest... I don't want you to get involved any more. I felt horrible the first time I used you and I can't do it again. You suffered enough, and you don't have to be a gentleman anymore. You're only human... You're not perfect... If you want to just live your life, I understand._"

"I... I don't know I should feel. But... Claire, what about you? Are you really content with simply residing in my body, just to keep me alive?"

"_It's all right... Really, it is. I've already endured far worse, and this time, I'm not even lonely! It's nice to be able to speak to someone again, especially you. I'll try not to be a burden in your body..._"

"Thank you... I promise you, I'll do all I can to set things right for you. If the 'White Atlamillia' is as dangerous as you say, then this could affect much more than the souls of the dead."

"_You might be right... Now then, let me see if I can wake you from your coma. My word... I've never shared control with someone else before... It's something new!_"

The conversation between two souls and one body has ended.

Professor Layton still had his two devoted protégés by his side, and they were just waiting for him to wake up. At last, in the bleakest of moments, Professor Hershel Layton had finally opened his eyes...

**Holy crap... This is the longest chapter that I've ever typed! It's almost 5000 words long! Anyways, I'm going to Vermont on vacation soon and I'll have two new classes in college to start on tomorrow, so I won't be updating for a long time. I made this chapter with a lot of depth to make up for that. As always, feel free to review!**


	41. The Uncertain Future

Professor Layton had finally opened his eyes from his coma and his two devoted protégées, Luke and Flora, were by his side after the doctors left to care for other patients. There wasn't much else that anyone could do for the professor anyway... The sight of the professor finally waking up had given both Luke and Flora some much needed relief and hope after all of the horror that they had both endured. Luke's eyes were barely holding back its tears and his mouth had a wide open smile. Flora couldn't hold back her tears at all, and she practically buried her face in the professor's shoulder to embrace him. From the professor's point of view, his vision was somewhat blurry and it was difficult for him to realize that he was seeing Luke and Flora at first. At first, all he was doing was hugging Flora's head with his arm is if it was only out of reflex.

Once Flora removed her head from the Professor's shoulder, he could see her enormous, innocent eyes staring back at him, "Flora?"

Flora shouted in joy, "Professor!"

The professor had also chuckled a bit, until he saw the rest of Flora's face. It was still heavily scarred and burned from when a spirit attacked her earlier, and the sight of her injuries had pulled the sheer reality of this situation back to him, "F... Flora..."

Flora hugged the professor again and Luke quickly joined the other two. In the middle of their embrace, the professor noticed that, other than his observations involving the sky being in a dreary, gray color and the fact that he was laying down on a bed that was placed outside with many other beds, he had no real idea what was going on...

Luke was also overjoyed, "Professah! I just **knew** you weren't dead! I just **knew** it!"

The professor noticed Luke's presence shortly afterward, "Luke..? Ah... Oh... My word... Would you two help me up, just so I can sit up straight like a gentleman? I... feel lightheaded."

Flora was practically clutching the professor's arm, "I... I really thought I lost you this time..."

The professor was briefly shaken by those words, but quickly attempted to laugh it off, "There there... I am here now, aren't I? Now, could you please help me sit up? I do not know if Luke had heard me..."

Luke was right next to the professor, "I **did** hear you, Professah, and I **am** trying to pull you up!"

The professor looked back at his left arm and Luke **was** pulling on his arm, "What?"

Humorously, his whole body was vibrating and his teeth were showing while he was pulling, "Can't you feel my hands trying to pull you up?"

That's when the professor was plagued with slight terror, "I... do not."

Luke was confused, "Huh?"

"Your hands... I cannot feel them as you are trying to pull me up. I cannot feel **anything**."

The professor moved his hand on his face and tried desperately to see if there was something wrong with his hand. When he touched his face, he realized that he could not only feel what his hands are touching, but he also can't feel his face when his hands are touching it. In other words, the professor's entire body was **completely numb**!

Luke remembered what one of the doctors said about the thermographic pictures of the professor, "The doctor told us that, based on the thermographic pictures, your body had almost no heat in it, and that... um..."

Layton was curious at what else Luke had to say, "What is it, my boy?"

Luke's face looked very grim, "You should already be dead right now..."

Although the professor maintained his composure, he was visibly shaken by the news. Although he had absolutely no feeling in his body, the professor attempted to sit upright on his own, much to the chagrin of Luke and Flora. After a minor struggle with doing so, he succeeded, and at the same time, he noticed how different his hands looked. They had a very pale coloring to it and the veins and bones from beneath his skin were visible to the naked eye!

Although the thought of finding out what **the rest of himself** looked like was a frightening ordeal, he felt compelled to know the truth, "Is there a mirror that I can use?"

There wasn't a "mirror" per se, but there were some pieces of glass from the destroyed hospital nearby that could be used to help the professor see his reflection. Luke and Flora were both reluctant at first, but ended up holding up one of the larger glass pieces next to the professor's face.

Any composure that the professor still had was gone since he let out an audible gasp at the sight of his own reflection... Just like his hands, the bones and veins from beneath his face were completely visible to the naked eye and his skin was very wrinkled! It was as if the professor was twice his own age!

Despite this shocking realization, he had seemed to regain his composure almost instantly because he only quietly muttered something to himself, "So... It is true, then..."

Luke and Flora didn't understand, "What's true, Professah?" "Yea, what is it?"

The professor didn't say anything immediately, but he had a very sad look on his face. He silently approached the makeshift table where the thermographic pictures of himself are and observed them. They confirm that his body had absolutely no heat in heat, except for one small, yet very noticeable location.

"_My soul is inside your heart..._"

Those words echoed within the professor's thoughts as if that same soul was trying to communicate with him.

The professor gently put the large glass piece down on the bed, "I have given my life to save her soul..."

Luke and Flora were still confused, "Wait, what's going on, Professah?"

"_That's right, Hershel. Now, I'm doing my best to keep you alive..._"

Those words also echoed within the professor's mind and it was very obvious that the same soul **was** trying to communicate with him. The professor let out another audible gasp, which Luke and Flora reacted to, "Professor, please... You just came out of a coma! You need to lie down."

Obviously, neither of them could hear the other soul in the professor's mind, "Y...yes... You are absolutely right."

Flora attempted to cheer up the professor, "I made my famous cucumber sandwiches for the other patients here, so just relax! I'll get you some in a little bit!"

Obviously (I keep using that word...), the thought of Flora's cooking had completely failed to cheer the professor up. Then again, since his body currently can't feel anything, maybe he couldn't taste Flora's terrible cooking either. Just food for thought (forgive the pun)...

Meanwhile, Luke had remained by the professor, "You know, Professah... I saw her too..."

The professor was still laying down, but turned his head toward Luke, "Her?"

Luke frowned with sadness, "Your lost love..? I saw her too... You... you went crazy! You jammed that spirit in your body and... Well, look at you!"

The professor remained silent while Luke continued, "I was the one that ended up dragging you here. Travis helped me too, and he got his eye pulled out..."

The professor had become intrigued for a moment, "Travis?"

The same animal that destroyed countless souls for the White Atlamillia had helped the professor get to safety. Was that panda here as well? This new insight gave the professor much to ponder about...

Luke was doing his best not to start crying, "I saw the world fall apart before my eyes... I can't get a hold of my parents... There was so much destruction and death everywhere... But... Now, you're here again!", Luke smiled while still trying to hold back his tears, "And together, we'll save the day, just like we always do! Right, Professah?"

The professor couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for his apprentice, "Luke... You have my deepest gratitude for pulling through all this. As soon as I can, we will do whatever it takes to set things right again! But, right now I must rest."

Luke nodded and left to go see if he could help Flora. Since the doctor still didn't get back yet, the professor looked like he was alone. Now, keep in mind that I put major emphasis on 'looked like'...

"_Luke and Flora truly care about you, Hershel..._"

Once again, the same sweet voice was in his mind... The professor couldn't help but think about how Luke and Flora were enduring this ordeal.

"_I'm also worried about them._"

The professor thought to himself, "Wait a moment, you can hear what I am thinking?"

"_I __**am**__ in your body right now... The physical obstructions between your heart and your brain don't really apply to me._"

"I cannot imagine what I had caused..."

"_What __**you**__ caused? I don't understand._"

"Luke had lost contact with his parents and Flora's face is horribly burned... This all happened because I could not protect them."

"_You have guilt about the past too, don't you?_"

"Flora followed me here because she did not want to be alone anymore... If I had just stayed at home with Flora and not left to go on another adventure... I should have been a better guardian... I know that it is never any good to dwell on the past, but... I..."

"_No, I don't blame you... I couldn't forgive myself either. But, you could forgive me. And now, I forgive you!_"

The professor had outwardly displayed a serene smile, but he was still racked with guilt over everything that had transpired and muttered silently to himself, "Flora... Please forgive me..."

**It's been a while, but I actually didn't go on my trip to Vermont... yet. It had been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, so I had time to work on this chapter. Now, I will still be somewhat delayed with continuing this story, due to college, my upcoming birthday (May 18th), and my trip to Vermont. As always, feel free to review!**


	42. Growing Old Sucks

It had been about five hours since the professor had begun to rest his now physically deformed and aged body, but his condition did not improve. Nothing that any of the doctors had attempted had been able to restore his body even a little bit, and he still had absolutely no feeling on his body at all. The once gray and dull sky had turned black because it was now nighttime, but little else about the situation has changed... Now, the professor was never one to be impatient, but given the extraordinary circumstances around his 'injuries', he knew that no mere human doctor could do much to help him anyway.

He wasn't one to disobey the 'doctor's orders' either, but the professor had experienced enough of the doctor's attempts to cure his new found deformities, "Doctor Reynolds, I believe that is quite enough."

The professor attempted to get up on his feet again, but the doctor stopped him, "Whoa! Sir, I need you to sit down. We need more time to find out exactly what's wrong with you."

A certain nearby kid with a very deep voice made a remark to the professor, "You got **old**."

The professor remembered that voice from earlier, "Dudley?"

Dudley stared at the professor and began to state the obvious, "We know what's wrong with you... You got **old**."

The words that the professor had heard had also echoed into his mind... 'You got old'... Those words were so simple and monotone, yet so powerful! The professor's physical body had aged and rotted so significantly since the ordeal, and he was only 38 years old! The best response that the professor could come up with for Dudley's 'observation' was a pathetic giggle...

Although Dudley had maintained a completely stoic and bored look on his face, he did not escape the chaos unharmed either, since he was in a wheelchair and has a cast over his leg with the phrase "There's a cast on my **leg**." The word 'leg' is written in larger, bold letters.

The professor attempted to break the awkward silence between him and Dudley after his 'observation', "Ahem! Yes, well then... How have you handled this dire situation so far, Dudley?"

Dudley was as monotone as ever, "My leg looks like **meatloaf**."

As if this couldn't get any more awkward, the professor attempted to scratch his head. At least, he thinks he did, since he can't actually feel anything right now, "Ah! Yes... You... uh... you have my condolences, Dudley."

Dudley remained completely silent and bored, and blinked his eyes once.

The professor just wanted to give up talking to Dudley at this point and tipped his top hat, "So long then, Dudley. I wish for you the best, just as Luke would as well."

Dudley continued to remain completely silent and bored, and blinked his eyes again.

The professor began to try to get up on his feet again. Since his whole body had lost all feeling, it was difficult to keep a sense of balance on his feet while keeping himself steady.

The doctor attempted to interfere with the professor's attempts to get up again by physically holding him in place, "Didn't you just hear what I said!? We need to find out what happened to you so that we can **help** you!"

The professor did not enjoy having to argue with a qualified member of the medical community, "I appreciate you attempting to help me, but I believe I have this entire situation worked out!"

Doctor Reynolds couldn't help but show concern for Professor Layton's mental state, "You know what's wrong with you?"

The professor appeared to have a moment of immense clarity, as if he had just solved a very difficult puzzle, "Not only my current physical anomalies, but I have a theory concerning the destruction of the snow tower and the current disaster that had befallen this city!"

The professor's statement had only given Doctor Reynolds further doubts on the professor's mental state, "So, you're Jesus now..?"

The professor simply got to the point this time, "Putting the Christian pun aside, I wish to confirm my theories. To do so, I must to speak to one of the patients here. This patient is a peculiar 'talking panda' that names himself Travis. Luke told me that this panda is here under medical supervision because one of his eyes had been brutally plucked out of his skull. I believe that this same talking panda was involved with this disaster."

Doctor Reynolds was almost at a loss for words, "No sane man, let alone a doctor, would **ever** let you leave in your condition!"

The professor attempted to compromise with the doctor, "If you feel the need to, why don't you accompany me, Doctor Reynolds?"

"You actually **know** what's happening to the city right now!?"

The professor corrected him, "I merely stated that I have a theory. I need to speak to Travis about the everything that had occurred. Although I do not have any proof yet, he may have been involved with this entire incident!"

Doctor Reynolds took a moment to think about this, "You mean you're actually **serious!**?"

The professor nodded, "I am..."

Doctor Reynolds had actually started to hold back his own tears, "I... I don't know what... ! T**hat** animal did all this!?"

The professor attempted to calm the doctor down, "Please, Doctor Reynolds, calm down! I said he **may** have been involved. I simply need to ask him a few questions."

Doctor Reynolds was visibly shaken, but calmed down a bit, "All right... Fine! But, let's make this quick! I don't want whatever's wrong with you to get worse."

For good measure, the professor was forced to sit in a wheelchair for the time being while Doctor Reynolds pushed it toward Bed T-19. As they were leaving, the professor could vaguely hear Dudley's voice.

It sounded like he was talking to somebody else though, "Your dad is white** trash**."

"_That young man is certainly a charmer..._"

Professor Layton just shook his head, seemingly in pity or disgust, while Doctor Reynolds pushed the wheelchair. Along the way, they passed by what looked like broken pieces of glass. They probably came from the windows of the destroyed hospital. The professor could see his own reflection... He saw an elderly man in a wheelchair wearing a top hat... It was literally only yesterday when he looked and felt much younger, and now he looks and feels like he's in his midlife crisis!

It didn't take long for the duo to get to Bed T-19. Travis was laying down on his designated bed with his hands behind his head and cloth wraps over where his left eye used to be.

When the professor could see the one-eyed animal in plain sight, he heard that same familiar voice in his mind again, "_That animal..! That's the one, Hershel! That animal is the one that slaughtered so many of the souls that I tried to help!_"

The professor could feel a surge of intense rage through his body. This was the first thing that he had actually felt in his body since it had decayed... It was as if the professor actually had to hold the rage back.

The professor took a deep breath and composed himself, "Travis."

Travis started to groan and complain, "Ugh... I told you already! Those toenail clippings aren't mi...", until he actually saw the professor with his own eye, "Oh... my... **god...** Professor Layton?"

The professor had noticed Travis's utter disbelief, "Yes... It really **is** me. I hope you aren't too shocked at my physical appearance."

Travis's remaining eye twitching and his mouth was wide open, "Shocked? **Holy crap!** You look like you've been in a time machine accident!"

"_Hehehe... Oh... 'Look like'..? Now __**that's**__ just poetry right there!_"

Professor Layton knew that getting used to his new condition would not be easy, "I... I know that. I know that you have just begun recovering from your terrible ordeal, but I need to ask you a few things."

Travis rolled his remaining eye in disgust and spoke in a bored and irritated tone of voice as if he had to deal with this situation before, "I do not accept interviews from news reporters, paparazzi, or any other form of human harassment! Goodbye!"

Before Travis turned back to lay in his designated bed, the professor reassured him, "That is not why I am here, Travis. I need to know your entire role concerning the snow tower and the White Atlamillia. Either of the two subjects may be linked to this current disaster, so if you know anything that may help me, I would ask you to tell me right away."

Travis held his hand over his head in disgust, "Oh god... Not another one..."

'Another one'? So this question had been asked before...

**I know I took forever with this, but I went on vacation last week. As always, feel free to review!**


	43. The Professor's Accusation

Upon Professor Layton's question on the role that Travis had involving this unparalleled disaster, Travis had immediately stated 'Not another one'.

The professor had already caught wind of that statement and what it **really** meant, "Another one?"

Travis's facial expression matched that of a cornered animal, except with a bandage over his missing eye. Not only did Travis's slip of the tongue imply that the professor was not the **first** person to question him about this disaster, but it also implies that the professor's suspicions were confirmed... And this was before Travis could say a word...

Travis smacked his forehead with his hand in frustration, "Ugh... Look! I already told you earlier. I was on a **job**! I was hired by the proprietor of the Queens Museum of Art to find this 'White Atlamillia' for his private collection."

The professor recalled the moment, "Yes, I remember that Silver Queens hired you. Luke had also informed me of your 'reward' for your effort..."

Travis figured that Professor Layton was referring to his stolen eye, "Heh... So I'm **not** the only one that can be snide... Yea... I actually don't get it. I mean, he had nothing to gain for stabbing me in the back. At least, I **think** he doesn't..."

The professor did not understand immediately, "What do you mean by that?"

Travis spread his arms across, "He still paid me anyway. In cash, I mean! So, it's not like he just did that to stiff me in the end... I still have the payment he promised with me right now! I just don't get what he did that for..."

The professor paused for a moment to ponder this situation, "Can you recall what he did with your eye?"

Travis didn't understand, "Huh?"

The professor questioned Travis again, "**What** did he do with your eye? Does he still have it?"

Travis couldn't believe how ridiculous this question is, "What kind of **stupid** question is that? I don't know, he... uh... he put my eyeball on that stone I gave him. You know, the one that he hired me to find in the first place... What difference does that make?"

Professor Layton's theory was more or less confirmed, "I believe I understand the motive now."

Travis had a sarcastic tone of voice, "Oh, **really**..."

The professor began to explain, "To be honest, it was not truly my own speculation. It was **yours**."

Travis was confused again, "Wait, what?"

The professor continued to explain, "I am referring to your knowledge of the paranormal. Nearly everyone that had visited the Snow Tower could not even come close to understanding why there was constant snowfall. Even my protégés and I were no exception to this... However, after exploring the Snow Tower with you for barely over an hour, you had immediately suggested that there was necromancy involved."

Travis recalled that moment as well, "Yea... I remember that black book hidden behind a wall on the top floor. It had a skull on the cover and incantations written in another language in it. Now, I couldn't actually **understand** the words, but one glimpse at it told me that it was written in the Primordial Format."

The professor shook his head, "Not quite... It was actually in Greek. I recognized some of the calligraphy..."

Travis put his paw over his head, "No, Primordial **Format**. The letters are read from the bottom of a page to the top, in reverse. It's kind of like one of those weird Japanese manga books."

The professor understood, "Ah, yes. I had some difficulty deciphering the book as a result. But, then how did you that the book was in this 'format'?"

Travis had an explanation for that as well, "Because the page numbers were on the top of the pages instead of the bottom."

The professor questioned Travis even further, "I had not attempted to study the book at the time. How did you know the format of the book before I opened it?"

Travis began to get irritated at the professor's barrage of inane questions, "Because **I** opened it myself for a split second to make sure I was on the right track... Now, stop asking me a series of retarded questions about some book format!"

The professor relented from that topic, "Very well... What I truly must know is how you could find a portal to a 'realm of the dead' in the basement of the Snow Tower. It only took you less than five minutes..."

Travis had an explanation for that as well, "The Akashic Point? I told you when we were there that Akashic Points are usually underground and as close to the earth's core as possible."

The professor was confused for a moment, "Akashic Point? Do you mean the spiritual portal?"

Travis groaned in annoyance, "Yea... The real name of these 'portals' are called Akashic Points... I just called them 'spiritual portals' earlier because humans tend to act utterly **brain-dead** on things that they don't know anything about..."

The professor pretended to ignore that remark, "Uh... Well, that's not quite... Ahem! You also used some device of some sort to open this 'Akashic Point'. How?"

Travis was visibly getting more irritated with each question, "My PDA? First, I used it to scan the molecular motion in the air. I look for anything that's out of the ordinary. You know, sudden drops in temperature, rapid repeats in thermal radiation conversion, and so on. Akashic Points are usually hidden in the very center of these irregularities. They're kind of like the center of a tornado... The Akashic Points themselves are very calm, but the temperature around them gets ice cold."

The professor was not quite convinced of Travis's explanation just yet, "I see... I have one more thing to ask of you. When Flora got attacked by that 'ghost' that you spoke of, how is it that you were capable of defending her, yet any attempts that Luke and I have performed were futile?"

Travis had yet another answer, "Spirits of all kinds are typically composed of molecules that form up basic elements: fire, ice, lightning, and so on... All my so-called 'weapons' really do are alter these molecules on contact with the spirit and after that, if the molecules that my 'blades' produce are the absolute opposite of the element that the spirit was composed of, then the element surrounding them is destroyed and the spirit with it. That's basically all there was to it."

The professor still had doubts on Travis's explanations, "Is that so?"

Travis noticed the professor crossing his arms, "What does any of that have to do with your 'theories' anyway?"

The professor finally explained why he had to ask Travis all of these questions, "Travis, I have reason to suspect that you were either directly responsible or at least an accomplice to the mastermind that brought about this entire disaster!"

Travis's remaining eye twitched in shock, "Wait, **what**?"

The professor had his reasons as well, "You were very efficient in discovering the Akashic Point beneath the Snow Tower, as well as discerning the purpose of the Necronomicon book at the top of the Snow Tower. **Too** efficient..."

Travis's mouth gaped slightly, while the professor continued, "It was as if you had **already known** of the horrors from beyond the Akashic Point ahead of time. The fact that Flora was brutally attacked by a spirit was enough for Luke and I to seek medical attention while you were able to continue your search for the White Atlamillia alone. Do you find that a bit coincidental? I find it coincidental..."

By now, Travis was in a fittingly animalistic rage, "You think **I** did this?! Even after my eyeball got plucked out of my skull and left me needing anesthesia, you still think I did all this?!"

The professor had remained civil, yet stern, "Luke had told me that your eye was indeed stolen. However, I only see cloth wrapped around your head."

Travis was gritting his teeth in anger, "Luke **saw** my head completely uncovered and my eye socket exposed!"

The professor kept his cool, "And how could I know that? I was not conscious at the time... Also, the fact that your employer paid you despite supposedly 'stealing' your eye is something to consider. Do you find that odd, Travis? I find that odd..."

By now, an animalistic growl could be heard underneath Travis's breath, "You want proof?! Is that it?!"

Travis immediately began to remove the cloth from his head. The cloth was getting torn and punctured from Travis's claws while he was removing it. After doing so, the professor could visibly see Travis's left eye closed. After that, Travis dropped the cloth on the ground and put the two index paw fingers over his left eye and used them to open his eyelid. The professor could actually **see** a small trail of blood come from where his left eye once was, but there was no eye to be found...

The normally unflappable professor had actually flinched at the severity of Travis's injury, "Good heavens!"

Travis was still infuriated with the professor's accusation, "Well, is that proof enough for you, old man?! **Is it?!**"

The professor felt a mix between shock and guilt, "My word... Travis, I... I don't..."

Travis continued to lash out at the professor, "So you need more proof then?! How about you stick your **goddamn **finger in it! Will **that** be proof enough?!"

The professor tugged his hat over his eyes in shame, "Travis, I do not know what else to say... It was nothing personal, I assure you."

Travis didn't say anything else... He just got back on his designated bed without even looking at the professor.

The professor straightened his hat, "Is there any way I can be of assistance to you, Travis?"

The infuriated animal responded with an equally vicious response, "**Fuck off!**"

Travis's profanity was enough to tell the professor that he had overstayed his welcome. He whispered to himself under his breath, "That was lovely..."

"_I still don't trust him, Hershel... That animal was willing to destroy everything that stood in his way just to get what he wanted! Even me..._"

"I am beginning to believe that Travis was just as much of a victim in all this as everyone else was... We may have made a terrible mistake."

"_Hmm... Maybe you're right._"

Meanwhile, in the Queens Museum of Art, Silver was holding both of the White and Black Atlamillia stones in each hand.

A large, muscular man in a blue tuxedo was approaching him from behind. He was holding a peculiar black book from under his arm, "I've got it, sir."

Silver put the stones down on in a case with a glass door over it and turned around. His eyes showed visible excitement when retrieving the black book, "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful... Finally, after all these years of waiting, the Atlamillia stones and the Necronomicon is back in my possession! I can finally get back to my research!"

**This story will be completed at chapter 50, so there is only 7 more chapters to go after this one! As always, feel free to review!**


	44. Father and Daughter: Rematch

It's been about 20 minutes after Travis's profane outburst towards Professor Layton and word of it had already reached everyone in the encampment... After all, it's not like a story about a talking one-eyed panda bear lashing out with such vulgar words to an archaeological professor is something that people will forget anytime soon...

Luke had attempted to contact his parents again after news of the outburst spread around, but to no avail. He gripped and stared at his cell phone with a look of terror on his face, "Aw, Mom, Dad..? Someone pick up!"

Tears started to form in Luke's eyes, "Please... Be all right..."

Flora was still attempting to help feed those injured from this disaster her cooking, but her reviews were... unappetizing, to say the least... In fact, one of the victims of the disaster that tried her food ended up dying only a few minutes later! However, there is nothing to actually **prove** that her cooking could kill someone, since the dead person in question was already suffering life-threatening injuries beforehand. The sheer horror of such a possibility exists though...

When she had finished (attempting to) give out her food, she noticed Luke's frustrations, "Have your parents answered back yet?"

Luke shook his head in response, "No... Nothing."

Flora could see the tears forming in Luke's eyes and put her hand on his shoulder, doing her best to comfort him, "Please, don't be sad. I'm sure your parents are just fine!"

Luke sniffled his nose, "I know... I'm just worried about them, that's all. Um... Flora? How did you get through it?"

Flora didn't understand yet, "Through what?"

Luke had obviously doubted his parent's chances of survival, "When your parents died... How did you get better fro..."

Flora interrupted immediately, "**Ohhhhhh no!** Luke Triton, don't you **dare** start talking like that!"

Luke stuttered like child, "B-but..."

Flora interrupted again, "I mean it, Luke! If you talk like that, then it will happen for real, so **stop it right now!**"

Flora hesitated for a moment, then actually seemed remorseful, "I'm sorry... I overreacted. It's just... well, I know what it's like, being all alone. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, let alone you."

Flora hugged Luke from behind in an attempt to comfort him. It wasn't very successful since her attempt at an embrace didn't change the situation, but he appreciated her concern, "Thank you, Flora. I appreciate you wanting to help me, but there's only one way to do that."

Flora let go of Luke and asked him, "What?"

Luke had a new task ahead of him, "I need to get the Professah to help me get me home. There is so much chaos and destruction everywhere! It's too dangerous for me to go alone."

Flora was understandably shocked, "Home? How are we supposed to leave this encampment anyway?"

Luke didn't fully understand yet, "What do you mean 'how'?"

Flora may have known simply because she had spent more time at the encampment than Luke did, "Ever since this nightmare started, the police keep everyone in the camp at all times. No one is allowed to leave! They say that there are 'horrors beyond our comprehension' out there!"

Luke couldn't help but wither in embarrassment after hearing that, "'Horrors beyond our comprehension'? That's the most cliché thing I've ever heard! Besides, I haven't heard from my parents ever since this disaster and I need to know why!"

Flora looked like she wanted to say something, but she had no retort to say. She sighed and simply followed Luke as he quickly sought out the professor. It didn't take long for them to find him, since he was sitting quietly in his designated bed and pondering what to do next.

Luke eagerly called to the professor, "Professah!"

Professor Layton was just finished drinking out of a white tea cup and frowned to himself. He turned quietly towards Luke's direction and Luke was once again seeing the significantly aged professor before his eyes. The look of dismay on Luke's face was all that was needed for the professor to frown with disheartenment.

Luke could barely muster up the words, "Professah... Y-you're still..."

Professor Layton was now fully embracing the consequences of saving another's soul with his own life now, "Yes, Luke... This situation is I had feared.", the professor set the tea cup down and looked at his wrinkled and distorted hands, "The damage that my body had taken may truly be irreversible. I feel so cold and numb everywhere, from my head to my feet.", the professor glanced at the tea cup again, "I could not taste or smell anything either... I even tried to drink tea... I could not feel or taste it at all!"

Luke and Flora both had the look of fright on their faces, "Couldn't anyone here help you, Professah?" "There are many nice doctors here and they helped stitch the injuries on my face."

And yet, the professor seemed so calm with all of this, "There are some joys in my life that even I had taken for granted. Before this very moment, I thought very little of my youth and the simpler joys of my life. However... Now, the earthly pleasures of living are lost to me. I cannot experience the bitter taste of tea any longer... I cannot experience the dignity of shaking another lady's hand... I cannot experience the warmth that I should when Flora embraces me as my adopted daughter..."

Luke feared the worst, "Professah? Are you... dying?"

The professor dimmed his eyes in sadness, "I... do not know."

Both Luke and Flora gasped while the professor continued, "I am not in any physical pain, but that is only because I cannot feel anything at all... Though I am still among you both, I do not feel alive!"

Flora erratically grabbed the professor's wrinkled hand, "Please don't die!"

The professor couldn't feel his arm being grabbed either... Despite this, he still did his best to comfort Flora, "There there..."

Flora had burst into tears, "You said you'd be here! You said you'd be my guardian! You can't die! I don't wanna be alone again!"

The professor didn't know what else to do or say, so he let his paternal instincts take over and embraced his daughter in return.

Flora's face was muffled in the professor's coat, but he could still hear her voice, "So cold..."

The professor's stoic nature broke for a split second after hearing that, because he actually gasped. He took a good look at the tear-stained Flora's face. It still had stitches and burn marks all over it from her earlier injuries. Since the professor's body was so cold now, he began to touch Flora's burn marks with his finger in an attempt to cool them.

Flora had actually giggled from the attempt, "Hee hee... That tickles!"

Luke had a small smile on his face, but he still had a task ahead of him, "Professah? I need your help again."

The professor turned over to Luke while having an arm over Flora's head, "What is it, my boy?"

Luke took a deep breath before explaining, "Ever since this whole disaster happened, I couldn't get a hold of my parents! I tried calling them for hours, but I don't get any signals. I also tried other numbers just to make sure it wasn't just my phone or a bad signal, so I know that's not it. Professah... I know you always tell me to remain calm, but... I think something happened to my parents!"

The professor mouth opened a bit while Luke continued, "It's far too dangerous for me to leave by myself, and the police here don't want anyone to leave either, but I can't just keep wondering. I want to act **now**!"

Normally, the professor doesn't enjoy putting others in dangerous risk, especially an adolescent, but the professor could emphasize with Luke's need for closure concerning his parents, so he gave in almost immediately, "I... understand your concern. I will help you, but... If there is anything wrong at all, I want you to flee with your life! Do you understand?"

Luke nodded while Flora let out her concerns again, "You're both leaving again? Already?"

The duo looked at Flora's direction while she continued, "At least let me go with you both!"

The professor was completely stern about that, "Absolutely not! You ended up in a hospital last time, and I won't risk your life!"

Flora had an actually convincing argument though, "You're letting Luke go! What makes him different from me? You never **did** explain that!"

The professor attempted to make his case, "Luke had accompanied me on adventures for years. He has experience in dealing with difficult situations."

Flora had a counter for that as well, "And that's because you **let** him accompany you! If you'd let **me** accompany you both more, then I would have experience!"

The professor could tell that he was not only losing this argument, but to a young lady that's less than half of her age, "Now see here, young lady! You're still in need of medical attention, and I simply will not have you put in any more dangerous situations! Are we clear?"

Flora was furious with the professor at this point, "You don't want **me** in danger, yet you still want to go even though you look like a defiled **corpse**?!"

Professor Layton and Luke were both completely dumbfounded at Flora's outburst! Luke barely muttered, "Flora..."

The trio were silent for a moment until Flora spoke again, "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that... But, Travis was right about you!"

The professor knew what she meant, "What Travis said..."

Flora's face looked like an infant pouting, "You barely act like a parent at all! When we were in Dropstone, you **left **me in a barn. When I asked about my 'future self', the thought never even occurred to you. It's like if I'm not around, then I may as well not even exist! The only thing you ever seem to want is to solve the next mystery or puzzle! If you didn't want me around, then why did you adopt me in the first place?!"

The professor looked remorseful enough, so Flora's argument seemed to sink in, "What can I possibly say..? I... I did not mean to say I did not care for you. I care **too** much."

Flora had a convincing answer to that as well, "I know... But if I don't experience anything, then I won't learn anything and mature. You yourself said those words to me when we first arrived at our home from St. Mystere..."

Professor Layton had pretty much caved in at this point, "I cannot believe that I am saying this... Very well, Flora. You.. win."

Flora seemed surprised that she actually convinced the professor this time, "It's ok not to be wise about everything, professor.", she had an innocent smile on her face, "You still have a lot to learn too. I can teach you if you want."

The professor chuckled for a moment, "You know, you remind me of a peculiar lawyer that I had traveled with to Labyrinth City. His name is Phoenix Wright and he simply would not give up, no matter the situation."

Flora smiled, "Could you tell me about this 'Phoenix Wright' sometime?"

Professor Layton nodded and actually had a smile on his face after a while.

**I wanted to portray what happened to Luke's parents in this chapter, but I held it off for another puzzle battle with Layton and Flora. I promise that I'll get to that in the next chapter. When I type 'puzzle battle', I really mean argument, but it was a battle of wits. Only 6 more chapters will come after this one! As always, feel free to review!**


	45. Luke's Fears

Just as Flora had told Luke earlier, the police do not want anyone to leave the encampment due to the so-called 'horrors beyond our comprehension', so there was naturally going to be some difficulty actually **leaving** the camp. Of course, since the police don't actually know what these horrors are to begin with, or anyone else for that matter, it's a bit difficult to take that cliché reasoning seriously...

Normally, Professor Layton would never willing walk into a dangerous situation without having any kind of plan, especially if either of his young companions were with him, but this was an exception... First of all, Luke's parents have not been heard from since the destruction of the New York-Presbyterian hospital and the Snow Tower. Secondly, the encampment that was recently constructed from the ruins of the hospital was just that: an encampment. There were barely any medical supplies that were still in sterile and working condition and the amount of food that was remaining was steadily declining. Lastly, due to the darkened skies and reports of these 'horrors', nobody had ever attempted to leave the encampment for fear of their lives.

To put it in more simpler terms, the professor was ready to leave because this encampment was basically a few more problems away from a riot... Looking back at the chaos of the few remaining doctors trying to preserve as many lives as possible and the police nearby that are trying to keep everyone inside the encampment at all times, he was almost relieved that Luke, Flora, and himself were about to attempt to leave. And this was after he tried to make Flora stay within the encampment for her safety... Go figure.

As expected, there was an officer standing by the entrance of the encampment. There was nothing really noteworthy to say about the officer. He was wearing the typical blue uniform with a hat that covers his eyes so you can't see them. He, as well as most of the featureless officers, were very reminiscent of the officers back in Monte d'Or, and he even had the same thin physical build as the ones in Monte d'Or did.

Just as the trio were walking out of the encampment, the officer stretched his arm out and had his hand held straight, "Hold on, sir. The outside is sealed from the public. You can't be allowed to leave unt...", the officer took a long, silent look at Professor Layton, "Hey! I know you! That coat... That hat... But... No, wait... That can't be right... He was only 35 last time we met."

The professor couldn't help but wonder if this officer that had the appearance of an officer from Monte d'Or **was** an officer from Monte d'Or, "Pardon me for asking, but how is it you knew how old I was?"

The officer was awestruck by this, "W-what?! So, you **are** Professor Layton?!"

The professor tipped his hat, "I am. It is nice to see a familiar face after all this time. Or familiar to many faces... Or... You know, all of the officers in Monte d'Or appeared precisely the same."

The officer scratched the back of his head and began to stutter, "Y-yea... And **you**, it's nice to see you looking... er, not so... well... **I mean**..! You look... uh... c-cozy?"

The professor pulled his hat over his eyes, as if he was ashamed, "'Cozy' is another word for cramped, and that isn't even the proper adjective.", the professor took a deep breath, "It is how poorly I have aged, isn't it?"

The officer clearly wasn't good as hiding his emotion, since he gritted his teeth and scratched the back of his head, "Hehehe... So, uh... What can I do for you, Professor? Solve any new puzzles lately?"

The professor had remained serious right now, "Unfortunately, this is not the time for small talk. Luke, Flora, and I must leave this place now. Luke's parents have not been heard from ever since this disaster. I do not want to assume the worst, but we cannot afford to delay any longer."

The officer stood his ground, "Hold on! We were given orders from the chief not to let anyone leave until the current crisis is resolved."

Luke was particularly outraged, since it's **his** parents that are missing, "You can't keep us in here if we don't want to! We are being accompanied by a protective guardian so there's no law or rule that says we can't leave."

The professor put his hand over Luke's shoulder, "Luke, calm down. Officer, please forgive Luke's outburst, but it's **his** parents that have gone missing. I implore you to allow us to investigate."

The officer wouldn't relent, "I can't... Chief Rotundson gave us the order to keep all citizens within the camp until further notice."

Luke had a somewhat condescending tone of voice, "**Rotundson** is the chief of police?! B... but how did he... of **all people** become the chief of police?"

The professor had once again attempted to calm Luke down, "Luke!"

And he failed again, "That man is **bonkers**! He kept wiggling his cheeks around and saying Flora's my daughter and... and his **cheeks**!"

The officer had a facial expression that exposed his complete embarrassment, despite the fact that his hat was still covering his eyes, "Uh... I know."

The professor, Flora, and especially Luke appeared shocked by the officer actually agreeing with Luke. The officer continued to explain, "Just between you and me, I have to massage his cheeks every week!"

Flora tried to hold her laughter, "W-why do you take that? Is it because he's the chief and you have to do what he says?"

The officer straightened his hat upward so his eyes were actually visible. His eyes projected a serious expression and his voice sounded very sad, "Chief Rotundson wasn't always this way. He really did earn his place as chief, once... He was one of our best until... his daughter...", all three of the trio's eyes widened a bit, "There were many victims of this terrible disaster. Many of these victims report tales of building **trying** to fall on them, and others say that they saw the concrete roads and traffic lights get twisted and ripped apart before their very eyes! And sometimes, **people** would get twisted and ripped apart, even though there's nothing actually grabbing or twisting anyone! The chief's daughter was only four years old... Kataska Rotundson. She had the most adorable cheeks in the world! **She** was one of the victims... The chief was taking dinner out with his daughter like he did every weekend after work and... then, the sky turned dull and gray. It was like something out of a horror movie, but it was real! People were getting pulled upward from everywhere in plain sight and thrown around into the pavement and buildings! Then, they would get pulled up again, and their bodies would get all twisted and break apart! The chief wasn't one of the victims, probably because he was too heavy for... whatever it was, but his daughter was easy prey. Her whole body got twisted and ripped apart in plain sight, seemingly out of nowhere and all the chief could do was watch helplessly! After a while, what was left of his daughter fell back on the ground, **in pieces**, right in front of the chief! Ever since then... he just lost it... He started shaking his cheeks around and acted like a child the same way his daughter did when she was alive. I know he seems crazy, but he'd never hurt anyone! He's a good man..."

The trio were all feeling very sympathetic toward the fallen chief, but Luke felt the most guilty, "And I was tempted to slap his cheek... I had no idea!"

The professor had sympathy, but was undeterred, "Give the chief our condolences when you get the chance, sir. We must still be allowed to leave the encampment. This could be an emergency!"

The officer still seemed reluctant, "Hmm..."

The professor continued to attempt to convince the officer in a very cunning fashion, "You know that I am the one who had unearthed the Akbadain Ruins and solved the mystery of the Masked Gentleman, do you not? Allow my companions and I to leave this encampment, and I will do whatever I can to aid you and the chief with this calamity. What do you say?"

The officer didn't take long to see things in the professor's way, "Sigh... I hope I don't get fired for this... But, we **do** need the help. Ever since the chief's daughter died, he just lost it... Most of the force doesn't have a clue what to do or even what we're up against! But, let me warn you now: you are **still** a civilian! If you run into any danger, do us a favor and call us. Don't do anything stupid and get you or your kids killed!"

The professor agreed to the terms, "We understand, and thank you again, officer."

The officer had one last thing to add, "One more thing: please don't tell anyone I'm letting you go. I could lose my job..."

The professor nodded in agreement, "I wouldn't dare... You have my word as a gentleman."

The trio began to leave with great haste, walking quickly but not running or tiring themselves out. The apartment that Luke's family made their home in had '1374 East 135th Street' as its address.

It was quite a walk from the ruins of the hospital, so Luke had time to ask the professor something, "Do you think we'll see Travis again, professah?"

The professor was slightly embarrassed to admit this, "I do not believe so, Luke. Travis was a huge help in our endeavor, but he may have accomplished what he set out to do. There is no more reason for him to get involved."

Luke found that explanation strange, "Hm... Well, it's just that, since his eye got gouged out, I figured that he would want payback against whoever did it. He said that Silver Queens was responsible and he certainly isn't the type to simply keep quiet..."

The professor pondered that idea, "No... No, he is not. But, there is probably more to the puzzle than meets the eye. There always was... My theory is that it's just another villain in disguise. We've already seen several of those anyways."

Luke pondered that idea as well, "Maybe... Travis mentioned that he was still well paid for his work, so there's no reason for Mr. Queens to double-cross him anyway. I still think Travis would want to find out. He's not exactly the 'cuddly' sort of bear, if you understand my meaning."

The professor figured that he would regret bringing this up, but he did it anyway, "Possibly... But it may also have to do with the fact that... I... wrongly accused him of being an accomplice to this disaster."

Luke was baffled by this, "What?! You made an accusation and I wasn't there to see it!"

The professor scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well, that's not the point that I wanted to make. What I mean to say is, that I may have actually accused the wrong suspect by mistake."

Luke was even more baffled now, "**What?!** You accused the **wrong** person?! Professah, forgive me, but... You have never done something that careless before! What happened? Did Travis get mad at you?"

The professor was already regretting bringing this up, "In a manner of speaking, yes... Though, that would put it lightly. I already know that a gentleman doesn't make up excuses for his actions, but I must admit that I may have not entirely been **myself** at the moment."

Luke's confusion only rose, "What do you mean by 'you weren't yourself'?"

The professor took a deep breath, "I suppose there is no hiding it now since you already witnessed it with your own eyes. There is the soul of someone that was very dear to me in my life, and that same soul was the one that Travis nearly destroyed. The soul of my lover is currently what is keeping me alive in the world, so at the same time, she must have influence over me to an extent. She may have still been angry with Travis for his ruthlessness toward the spirits of the dead."

Luke tried to understand this situation, "So... Claire's soul possessed you? She can control you?!"

The professor took a moment to really think about that, "I wonder... Has she always held such power over me even in death?"

The trio arrived next to Luke apartment building without incident, but they immediately saw that the building was decayed and rotting like many of the other ones!

Luke gasped, "Oh no... Mom! Dad!"

Luke began to sprint toward the building with the professor and Flora keeping pace behind him. The once beautiful carpet flooring and atmosphere that the hotel presented was nowhere to be seen now... Luke quickly ran to his room and hit the door so hard by accident that he actually busted it down! To be fair, it may have just been decaying anyways...

Luke screamed loudly, "Mom! Dad!"

Luke franticly searched every room, while the professor and Flora tried to keep pace. When Luke got the main bedroom where his mother and father slept in, his worst fears had just been confirmed...

The professor couldn't see from his position at what Luke was so terrified of, but he saw Luke himself. When the professor and Flora came closer to Luke, they could finally see with their own eyes of what horrified Luke so badly...

Even the normally unflappable professor was stricken with surprise, "No! Clark!"

Clark's body was completely twisted from his legs to his neck and looked as his spine had been ripped from his body! Luke's mouth was wide open and he collapsed on his knees with grief and tears in his eyes, "W-why?"

The professor did what he could to console Luke by wrapping Luke's head around his coat and preventing Luke from seeing the image of his now dead father. All Luke could do now was sob in the professor's shoulder, "Dad..."

**There are only 5 chapters after this one now, so the end is in sight. I realize that this entire chapter was very dark and after Flora was attacked, I tried to warn you readers that things would be getting depressing. I warned yoooooou! My next chapter may take more than one week to finish, since I have new classes on Monday and I'm going to the Washington D.C. museum tomorrow! As always feel free to review!**


	46. Auras

Within the remains of what used to be the apartment which Luke and his family had lived in, Clark Triton's twisted body was left in the middle of his bedroom. Luke was naturally devastated at the sight of his father being dead in such a state, and Professor Layton was doing all he could to comfort the poor child.

The professor was also trying to keep his emotions in check, since he was gritting his teeth and hugging Luke tightly at the same time, "Clark..."

Flora was behind the other two and could not yet see what Luke and the professor were upset about. She approached with curiosity, "Why are you so sad, Lu...", then she saw Clark's twisted body, "EEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

The professor did what he could to push Luke and Flora away from the horrifying sight by pushing them out of the room in an almost frenzied manner. After he pushed them out, he quickly slammed the door behind him, as if the block out the horrible truth from himself, Flora, and especially Luke...

The professor took a moment to take a deep breath and collect his thoughts for a moment, "Just what disaster had befallen us all..?"

"_The chaos that comes from sadness and death, Hershel... That's what._"

The professor had an odd and confused look on his face and Luke and Flora couldn't understand why.

"_This tragedy is simply impossible for anything as __**mundane**__ as a living person to perform... Er, I don't mean to be offensive... What I meant to say is that the way that unfortunate people, like Clark, end up getting twisted to the point of agony... That's the same way that __**I**__ slain the men that tried to control and indoctrinate me years ago!_"

The professor's mouth dropped in shock from this. Normally, Luke and Flora would keep watching him make silly faces for seemingly no reason, but they were too distracted from the result of Clark's agonizing death. Luke was bawling like a infant from the sight of his now dead father, and Flora herself was on the verge of tears from simply trying to console Luke.

"_There were other dead souls that were trapped with me... Do you remember? I was not capable of leaving the 'hell' that I was trapped in on my own! It was only after I saw you again... and... That animal! It was that animal! What was his name again..?_"

"Travis..."

"_Travis? He took the stone that I told you about earlier. The one that I called it an 'amplifier'... Well, this is only speculation on my part, but the amplifier that I experimented with during my time in that prison may have been there as some sort of '__**restraining bolt**__' to keep all of us dead souls trapped._"

The professor put his hand over his chin, "Finally... Everything is coming together. The terms 'White Atlamillia', 'white stone', and 'amplifier' that I've heard during this adventure as well as the term 'restraining bolt' that I've heard just now are all referring to the same stone. Because it was stolen, all of the other souls were finally able to break free from their prison after so many years!"

"_And now... Their collective sadness and rage... The other souls of the dead are taking their anguish out on living people!_"

The professor had a look of grim determination on his wrinkled face, "If this is all true, then this no longer simply a paranormal matter!"

"_That's right! If those souls are left alone, they could continue to spread chaos and death around the world! The people that were already killed may end up becoming part of the same mob of angry souls._"

This possibility had actually frightened the professor, "My word! Clark... He's dead, then what if..."

The professor turned to Luke and Flora to check on them. Luke was still lying on the floor in fetal position and crying profusely, while Flora had her hand on his shoulder and seemed to have heard the professor, since she turned her head to his direction after he spoke.

Flora couldn't do much to help Luke at this point, "Um... Professor?"

The professor kneeled down toward Luke and put his hand on his other shoulder, "Luke..."

Luke kept sobbing uncontrollably and the professor was powerless to do much about it... The professor just did the same thing he did when Luke first left for America over six months ago by hugging him and putting his hand behind Luke's head, "There there..."

Unfortunately, the circumstances are completely different. Clark is **dead**. This is **not** 'so long' and there certainly wasn't a bittersweet goodbye! The dead body of Luke's father was lying on the floor with his spine, legs, arms, and neck twisted to the point that he looked barely humanoid at all! That horrifying image is something **nobody**, let alone an adolescent should ever have to go through in their entire life!

While the professor continue to comfort Luke as best as he could, the ground underneath the trio began to shake. Although Luke was still in a state of inconsolable weeping, the professor and Flora noticed immediately. The ground started to shake harder and harder to the point that the building that the trio was in was starting to fall apart! The windows were breaking apart and the walls were starting to crack!

Since Flora heard the stories from the other victims back in the hospital-turned-encampment, she already had an idea what was going on, "Professor! The building is trying to crush us!"

Professor Layton was still hugging Luke at the time, but turned his head towards Flora, "Trying? Flora, what do you..?"

Before he could finish asking, the professor got a quick glance at what looked like a floating face with red eyes from the corner of his eye. Before the professor had the chance to really see it, this 'floating face' flew away with an incredible burst of speed right through the window. The really disturbing thing about that is that fact that the part of the window that this 'face' flew through was still intact, even after this so-called 'face' went through it.

Normally, the professor would be completely dumbfounded at such a thing, but after everything that happened in the last few days, nothing could truly surprise him any longer. Was **this** the chaos that a legion of dead souls could bring if left uncontrolled?

The fact that the hotel continued to crumble and fall apart around the trio had just about confirmed this theory. The floor around the trio started to erupt from underneath them, as if the floor was **trying** to swallow them up! There was simply no logical explanation at the moment, other than paranormal chaos, and the professor wasn't about to let himself as well as Luke or Flora become victims of the same chaos that took Clark's life!

The professor had kept a modest tone of voice, but it also carried a stern demeanor, "We need to leave **now**."

Flora followed the professor immediately, but Luke was still in a state of inconsolable weeping... Simple logic was of no use here, so the professor just picked Luke off of the floor and carried him over his shoulder. With Luke in his right hand, the professor tightly grasped Flora's hand with his left hand and led them both out with an inhuman pace. To be more specific, the professor was walking about as fast as some people would run.

While the professor was leading (more like carrying) Luke and Flora out of the collapsing hotel, the walls and ceiling were breaking apart in a noticeable pattern, as if the debris was trying to **follow** the professor. This prompted the professor to actually start running with Luke and Flora. As he was doing so, the professor was carefully looking behind him and looking for anything that would actually **cause** the building to collapse the way that it is. During the time it took for him to get Luke, Flora, and himself out of the building, the only thing that he saw were what looked like red colored 'auras' from within the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Naturally, these 'auras' would only add one more thing to the professor's list of unsolved puzzles but right now, the only thing that mattered was evacuating Luke, Flora, and himself to safety. When the trio got outside, the hotel began to start collapsing even faster.

It was at this point that Luke snapped out of his blubbering state, "Wha... **What?!**"

The professor noticed this immediately, "Luke!"

Luke was still being carried over the professor's shoulder, "Professah! My dad! He's still in there!"

The professor clenched his own teeth from hearing that since this situation reminded him of a similar event when he prevented a young boy named Clive from getting killed in a futile attempt to save his own parents over ten years ago, "Luke, it's no use!"

Luke started sobbing again, "P-professah! I have to go back! My dad is still in there!"

The professor kept a strong grip over Luke as he was repeatedly flailing his arms on the professor's back, "Clark is dead, Luke."

Luke kept sobbing, "B-but..."

The professor didn't relent, "Your father is **dead**! Get anywhere near there and you'll die too!"

The professor was still carrying Luke over his shoulder with one hand and holding Flora's hand with the other. The trio had evacuated from the collapsing hotel without that much difficulty, but Luke had only suffered further emotional scars for it, since he still held the futile belief that his father could be saved.

While being carried over the professor's shoulder, Luke could still see the crumbling hotel before his tear-stained eyes. With a few final fissures, the hotel had completely collapsed inside itself, and that view had only made Luke sob even harder... It got to the point that the professor's shoulder was completely soaked with tears, though because of the professor's current physical condition, he did not notice that.

The professor didn't even bother to ask Luke if he was all right... He already knew the answer, since Clive ended up attempting a vengeful rampage against London a decade after the deaths of **his** parents. The professor could only hope that Luke would not turn out as 'another Clive' in his future. The fact that Luke would probably end up resembling Clive physically in the future did not ease the professor's fears either.

(In a meta example, Luke in the future would probably have the same voice actor, Yuri Lowenthal, if there are any future games that take place at that point in time. Food for thought...)

The professor finally set Luke down and took a moment to look back at the wreckage. He could still see the red 'auras' surrounding the destroyed hotel. It was odd, since the last time he encountered the souls of the dead, he could not see these 'auras' at all.

In total defeat, the trio turned away from the destroyed hotel and just started solemnly walking. The destination was not yet known, but they needed to just get away from these horrors. No matter how far they walked, they didn't really escape, since the first thing they say were more bodies lying on the cracked concrete.

At first, the professor assumed that this was the last thing that Flora, and especially Luke, needed to see. However, when the professor got a closer look at these bodies, he could see that they also had 'auras' of their own. These auras were not red and hostile, but white and vibrating.

"_Hershel! Those people are still alive!_"

The professor gasped from this realization and rushed quickly toward one of these bodies. Upon closer examination, these bodies were actually still alive. They must have escaped from the hotel before it collapsed, but many of these people are still badly injured.

Luke was still in an emotionally broken state at this point, but he and Flora still followed the professor closely. Flora instinctively tried to pick up one of these bodies, since she already had a small amount of experience from helping the victims in the destroyed hospital earlier.

There were at least a couple dozen of these white 'auras' littered among the hundreds of bodies. The professor did not fully understand how he could see these 'auras', since Luke and Flora couldn't, but this gave him an exceptional edge at finding survivors of this disaster.

There was one survivor that stood out among the rest, and had even taken the professor by surprise, "Brenda!"

Luke's mother, Brenda, had several scrapes and bruises on her body and was not conscious, but the white 'aura' indicated that she was at least alive. The professor quickly scooped her up on his lap and prepared to put her in a small pile where other unconscious, yet living 'white aura' people go. It's fortunate to know that a few lives were saved today...

**Only 4 chapters remain in this story! As always, feel free to review!**


	47. The Calm Before The Storm

It took about twenty minutes to find all of the survivors among the dead bodies littered on the cracked concrete. Just as the professor had guessed, there are at least a couple dozen survivors. Though he could not yet explain what these white 'auras' are, he assumed it may have something to do with the other soul inhabiting his body. She had already explained to him in his mind that the dead could see things that the living could not. That would also explain why Luke and Flora were oblivious to these auras.

Once the unconscious, yet living people were all grouped together, the professor had naturally wanted to aid them as soon as possible, "We must get these people immediate medical attention! I realize that the nearby encampment is already low on supplies, but there isn't another hospital here for miles. It is their only chance at survival! Luke, may I borrow your cell phone?"

Luke was still sniffing tears from his father's demise, but he still handed the professor his cell phone, "Here, Professah."

Now, the 911 emergency number isn't a **bad** number to call in this situation, but it would take an ambulance a lot of time to navigate around the wrecked buildings. A helicopter would not have an easy time navigating either due to the immense fog. The professor decided to call the number of the wrecked hospital itself, since the encampment there is the closest place that these people have to emergency medical care, even if the supplies there are running low...

The professor paused to listen for an answer, but all he got was this message from a **very** cheerful female voice: "Hello. You have reached the New York-Presbyterian hospital . If you are receiving this message, then our phone connection is currently experiencing technical difficulties. If you wish to leave a messa..."

At this point, the professor hung up the phone and sighed, "I should have assumed the worst... Their phones are down..."

Flora put her hand on the cell phone, "Professor, let me try calling them. While I was helping the people there, they told me an emergency phone number that they used after the hospital was destroyed."

The professor was a bit surprised about this, "I-is that so? Then, by all means!"

Flora dialed on Luke's cell phone and held it to her ear for a moment and then, "Golden Apple here. I've got a 'Code Orange' in Lenox Avenue with about a couple dozen survivors in critical condition!"

The professor and Luke widened their eyes while watching Flora talk on the phone, "Bring some transports and about forty pounds of cucumbers immediately! I repeat, Code Orange, Lenox! Move, move, **move!**"

Flora immediately hung up the phone, "They should be here in about fifteen minutes."

The professor stuttered in a very undignified manner, "F-Flora..? Where on earth did you..?"

Flora giggled, "While I was helping the other victims back at the hospital camp, Chief Rotundson told me about the different hospital codes and the emergency phone number. He also let me feed the other patients with my cucumber sandwiches!"

The professor remembered what the former Monte d'Or officer said earlier, "If I recall correctly, we were told that the chief forbade anyone from leaving the camp due to the 'untold horrors' that more likely describe the dead souls engulfing the city."

Flora thought about it for a second, "Hm... I wonder if he just meant that the **patients** weren't allowed to leave..."

The professor pondered this for a moment, "From what I heard from Luke and the former Monte d'Or officer, Chief Rotundson had simply acted silly and unpredictable ever since his daughter's death. I find it quite puzzling that he turned out to be one of our greatest allies in this series of unfortunate events."

(Yea, I just quoted the Lemony Snicket book series...)

Luke looked down at his injured mother... She had bruises and scrapes all over her body and torn clothes, but at least she was breathing. However, Luke started embracing his comatose mother anyways due to still having been completely emotionally broken down.

He cried in his mother's shoulder, "Ma... Oh, Mom... My d-dad... He's..."

Luke had continued sobbing to the point of his words being completely incomprehensible and there wasn't much that the professor or Flora was really capable of doing to comfort the poor adolescent...

As Flora had predicted earlier, help from the encampment arrived in about fifteen minutes. There were only a couple of ambulances that weren't completely totaled from the destruction of the New York-Presbyterian hospital, so they couldn't bring **everyone** all at once. The ambulance driver had to take several trips back and forth to help everyone. The professor, Luke, and Flora were among the last to be picked up since they weren't in dire need of medical help at this time. They just used the ambulance as a quicker form of transportation.

While all three were in the ambulance, Luke had a somber tone of voice, "So... What do we do now, Professah? I mean... My dad's gone... and... If these ghosts are **real**... Not just like in Misthallery... Are we, let alone all of humanity on the planet, even capable of saving this city..?"

The professor had a theory, "There is something I should mention about that... Every time the subject of dead souls came up, there was some sort of 'logic' to it, much like puzzles. The fact that there was an Akashic Point underneath the **bottom **of the snow tower where the souls of the dead were imprisoned, the constant snow around its namesake: the Snow Tower, and most importantly..."

Luke was naturally curious of all of the professor's theories, "Yes, Professah..?"

"The Necronomicon book that was found at the **top** of the snow tower... All three of these things coming together may not have been coincidence."

Luke thought about the book for a moment, "You mean the black book we left ho... I mean, what's left of my home."

The professor got straight to the point this time, "It was **not there**."

Luke and Flora were stunned briefly, "Huh?" "What?"

The professor explained this, "While we were searching for Luke's parents and found his home in ruins, I looked for anything suspicious that may have caused the destruction such as burnt ashes or faulty electrical wiring. I was looking for anything else that may have caused the destruction of Luke's home, whether accidental or as everyone, including myself is continuing to believe, caused by restless souls. While most of Luke's belongings were littered around the destroyed house, the Necronomicon was the one thing that was **missing** from Luke's home where we left it!"

Luke still needed more information, "So, why does the missing black book matter anymore, Professah? We've already learned all that we could from it."

The professor finally made an attempt to put everything together at last, "The Necronomicon book was located at the **top** of the Snow Tower when we first found it and the White Atlamillia was found at the **top** of the Snow Tower's counterpart in the Akashic Point. My theory is that the 'Black Book' and the 'White Stone' are opposites of one another and that they may have been used as 'keys' of some sort to imprison the spirits of the dead. I say this because we have removed the Necronomicon from the Snow Tower to study it and gain more information on our mystery and that Travis had retrieved the White Atlamillia from the Snow Tower's counterpart after a lengthy duel with the Snow Angel."

Luke remembered seeing what this 'Snow Angel' really was, "Claire's soul..."

The professor was visibly gritting his teeth as if he was trying to hold his emotions together, "She... speaks to me at times. I can hear her voice in my mind. I can hear her thoughts clouding my own and affecting my judgment. How can I put this..? Claire's soul is keeping my deformed body alive and for that I am truly grateful. But, she is also... very different from who she was in life. She was so warm the way I remembered her in my past. Now, the little bit of her remaining warmth is gone. Now, all I feel... is a deep sense of despair and guilt."

Luke and Flora were both silently listening in the other side of the ambulance, "Luke? Flora? I owe you both a sincere apology, but I fear that will never be enough."

Luke and Flora didn't understand why just yet, "Huh?" "Why, Professor?"

If the professor was still physically capable of crying, he would be right about now, "Both of you have endured so much pain from this ordeal. It all began from my need to solve that next great puzzle. It began innocently enough with a talking animal and snowfall around a clock tower. I never could have imagined that things could have ended as horribly as it did! I... I should have stopped when Flora was assaulted. I should have simply left the Snow Tower alone and help Flora recover from her injuries! But, I didn't... Everything had become so much worse and I had failed in my responsibilities as your guardian. I am truly sorry to the both of you!"

Flora had made a very 'non-ladylike' outburst, "Stop it! Professor, you've never been like this before **ever**!"

Luke agreed, "It's true! You always told me that a true gentleman would keep his head up high in the worst of situations! You're not **really** going to start blaming yourself, are you, Professah?"

The professor couldn't help but smile at Luke and Flora, "Y... yes. You're both absolutely right. And it is true... I have not fallen this far in many years. I wonder... Is it truly my **own** sense of guilt, or has Claire's soul truly consumed me so much?"

The ambulance arrived back at the encampment after having to navigate debris and potholes in the road for a few minutes.

The trio hopped out of the ambulance when it arrived back at the encampment. The outside was still as cold and barren as ever... The professor wanted to make sure Brenda, as well as the other survivors, were being cared for. Luke was so busy mourning his father's death and clinging to his mother that he couldn't even comprehend anything else at the moment.

That leaves Flora, who was surprisingly the **least **emotionally scarred victim in all of this. Since the professor was so busy and Luke was... 'out of order' to put it nicely, she decided to take it upon herself to do a bit of investigating for once.

The only one who had extensive paranormal knowledge that she knew of was Travis, so she went to Bed T-19. Hopefully, he would be in a state in which he would be able to speak normally. The last time he saw Flora, he was intoxicated from the anesthetic.

Flora instinctively knocked on the counter next to Travis's bed, since there was no door.

The animal still had a large cloth wrap around his eye when he turned around, "What?"

Flora was slightly nervous after hearing about Travis's outburst toward the professor earlier, "Um, Travis? I have a question. There are all these souls roaming around the city and... Is there a way to stop them?"

Travis chuckled for a moment, "Wait, you're serious? The only way I've ever dealt with the undead is disintegrating them."

Flora figured he would say something like that, "Oh... Well, the thing is... The professor had always held violence as a last resort. He would never do something like that. What I'm **really** asking is, 'Is there a way to help these souls?'"

Travis was shocked, "**Help** them? Kid, have you looked in the **mirror** lately? You've already got close to only **one** undead soul, and now your face looks like it's been branded with a heated piece of iron!"

Flora continued to try to get Travis to see things her way, "But, why did they end up like that? They were just normal people while they were alive."

Travis didn't even flinch, "Your point?"

Flora practically had to spell it out for him, "Don't you feel bad for them?"

Travis responded coldly, "Nope..."

Flora was shocked at Travis's lack of compassion, "Not even a little? What if they were tortured in life and now they're still in pain? Or what if they want to cross over and they can't?"

Travis was still cold, "What about them, then?"

Flora was somewhat quieter now, "So, it **is** true... You don't think that these spirits can find salvation? You would just destroy any ghost that was in your way to get what you wanted! How can you live with yourself? It's just as bad as what that ghost did to **me**!"

Travis let out a huge rant at Flora, "Listen, kid! Let me tell you about a little thing you humans call 'animals'! **Animals** are not born in a hospital and in the comfort of their homes right away! Most animals do not even **get** the luxuries of a home, or television, or a car, unless we're someone's **pet**! A **human's **pet! ** We** don't get equal rights compared to you humans, even in America of all places! You want to know why I can go as far as I can, slaying any enemy that gets on my bad side? I **earned** that right! In the so-called 'Animal Kingdom', the first thing you learn is that you're either useful or dead weight! Nobody is going to come and hold **our **paws or spoon-feed us! Once we're past infancy, we have to learn self-reliance and take care of **ourselves** and when we do, the most that we earn is the right to live outside with the trees and the moss and the heat waves and the rain! I wanted better than that! I wanted something **different**! I wanted to get to live in comfort the way you humans take **for granted EVERYDAY**! If I have to break a few hearts and destroy some already doomed souls or rip the head off of a criminal from the 'most wanted' for a bounty just to even get the **privilege** that you or any other human on earth get simply by being human, I will! I have the backbone to do what you humans can't! You think I'm selfish? Huh? You think I'm too **cruel**? It's not personal, it's survival!"

Flora was holding back tears and turned her back on Travis while still muttering to him, "Is it? I always thought that people and animals could help each other and make each other happy. I spent most of my life being cared for by robots after my father passed away from illness. He did anything he could to make me happy. I may not know much about the outside world, but... I want to believe there will always be happiness in the end. I was lonely for so long, but it didn't last forever. One day, Professor Layton came and adopted me and I had a father again."

Travis had his own viewpoint on that, "Didn't that old man leave you in a barn for several hours to solve a mystery?"

Flora remembered that, "Well, yes. I didn't really appreciate that, but he's not perfect. He still takes very good care of me."

Travis sighed in annoyance, "What does this have to do with **anything**?"

Flora repeated her point from earlier, "My point is that bad things happen to everyone, but it usually never lasts forever. **Usually...** When you destroy a ghost or kill someone bad, then the pain lasts forever! Even cruel people have families that care about them, and even ghosts have people that miss them. In the end, no matter how you look at it, you're just hurting a lot of people to help yourself."

The idealistic human was starting to irritate the cynical panda, "Oh really... What would you do in my fur, then? If you had to rip a few ghosts or criminals to keep yourself feed, would you just choose to starve to death?"

Flora thought about it for a moment, "I don't know. Maybe..."

Travis had some parting words for Flora, "Kid, I'm not saying this to be mean, but the world's not a fair place for everyone. One of these days, you might end up doing the selfless thing in the wrong time. When you do, you'll just end up backstabbed and in an early grave."

Flora held her head up high, "So be it..."

She had nothing more to say to Travis anyway. She thought he would know a way to help these sad souls instead of destroying them, but he didn't...

Meanwhile, I will show a brief mention of the museum curator, Silver Queens (who is obviously considered the main villain by several sources, I won't even hide it now...). He had the Necronomicon book, the White and Black Atlamillias, and Travis's eyeball attached to the White Atlamillia, "I feared this would happen. The stone no longer answers to me."

There's another man next to Silver who was very muscular, but in a blue tuxedo. He was the man I mentioned earlier, "Sir! This isn't good! The spirits are completely out of control! They've destroyed a large portion of the city!"

Silver continued to examine the White Atlamillia closely, "I know. Do you remember what the Snow Angel did to it? She had my stone in her possession for far too long. It's defective and will not respond to me. I hoped that having a hunter's eye could be used to see how the stone has turned, but as it turns out, this is but an ordinary eye. It possesses no Truesight or Aurasight. It is useless..."

The muscular man had obviously held respect for Silver, "So, you can't control the spirits anymore? There hasn't been an outbreak this bad for over 150 years..."

Silver nodded, "I know. If this outbreak continues, the entire country will be in jeopardy! Robert, listen to me. I want you, Alexandra, and the rest of your men and their families to evacuate this city as soon as possible!"

Robert, the muscular tuxedo man, looked concerned, "What will you do, sir? Are you coming with us?"

Silver took off his glasses and cleaned them with a cloth, "I still have one more experiment to try. Don't fear for my safety, Robert. If anyone has enough power to quell the dead, it is I. Once I'm finished, I'll join the rest of you. Until then, stay safe, my dear friend."

Robert sincerely smiled, "And you as well, sir."

**Only 3 chapters remain now! This one was longer than I thought it would be, but as always, feel free to review!**


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